Hoist the Colors High
by Elemental Fantasy 13
Summary: Lovina Vargas, a noble at her grandfather's estate in the Caribbean, is captured by an infamous pirate during a raid. Will this Captain Carriedo live up to his reputation? Is Lovina the only land wench to catch a pirate's eye? Will have USUK and PruCan later on. Rated T for language, (courtesy of a temperamental Italian and feisty American), and general pirate shenanigans.
1. Chapter 1

**I apologize for starting two stories at once, but I couldn't help myself :P Don't worry, updates will be as regular and prompt as college life allows. As for the title, it was one of my favorite songs of the entire movie franchise, and it struck me as a better fit than 'Yo-ho, Yo-ho'.**

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><p>Lovina Vargas was scowling. Her normal expression wasn't exactly a cheerful face to begin with, but when she scowled, she meant it.<p>

"No. No way. I am not wearing that damned thing."

"Lady Lovina," snapped the lady in waiting, hands on hips. She was one of the few who'd dealt with the girl enough to not be shocked by her foul mouth anymore. Now she skipped right to the irritated stage. "You are a Christian woman, you must watch your language."

"It doesn't matter if I swear or not, I'm still not wearing that," said Lovina, marching over to her balcony. She wore only her dressing gown, but her level of modesty was lower than average.

"Your sister did."

Dainty fists curled on the cement ledge. _Your sister did this, your sister did that._ Lovina was sick and tired of being compared to her twin sister. Feliciana was only a minute younger, but it could have been years for all the difference it made. They were identical physically, aside from their hair and eyes. While Lovina had brown hair and olive green eyes, Feliciana had auburn hair and bright amber eyes. Lovina was taciturn and bristly, Feliciana was bright and cheerful.

The worst of it was, Lovina didn't blame anyone for liking her sister better. Feliciana was just…_likeable_, and she didn't even know she was doing it.

Both were raised by their grandfather, a rich Italian noble, who loved them both dearly. It was simply he had an easier time handling Feliciana. She had even chosen, of her own free will, to marry the younger son of one of his best friends. He approved, of course, though what her sister saw in the stiff German Lovina would never know. The older brother had turned into a pirate for pities sake!

_Meanwhile, he's searching for anyone to marry me,_ thought Lovina bitterly. It wasn't as if she made it any easier, either. If Feliciana could marry for love, than so could she. Lovina was well aware her grandfather just wanted to know they would be taken care of once he was gone, but still.

"Please, Lady Lovina, at least try it."

Lovina slowly turned to look at the dress. It was tight at the waist, and had an impossibly wide skirt. It was full of frills, lace, ribbons, and looked highly uncomfortable. It did also promise to promote the bust area, which was no doubt why Feliciana had eagerly slipped into it. Ludwig and his grandfather were supposed to come for a visit today, and, though incredibly ditsy, Feliciana knew exactly how to make her fiancé blush.

"Fine," she growled.

Promptly five minutes later, she was regretting it.

"I think that's tight enough," she wheezed, clutching the bed post.

"It's the height of style in London," pointed out the lady in waiting, giving the corset one last tug before tying it off.

"Just because some pompous London bitches decided they didn't want to breathe, doesn't mean I have to suffer," said Lovina, still out of breath.

The lady in waiting sighed, adjusting the last of the dress around her. "Honestly, to hear you talk, one would think you were an urchin instead of a lady."

"Urchin's don't have to wear damned corsets," said Lovina, trudging in dainty slippers to the door. "Let's go show grandpa so I can take it off."

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><p>That night, as the moon rose in the sky, Lovina slipped out the back of the house, lantern in hand. She wore one of her comfortable, corset-less dresses. This one was simple wine red, ended just above her ankles, and barley covered half her upper arms. No shoes adorned her feet.<p>

There were dark clouds to the south, threatening rain before morning. Lovina wanted to make sure her garden would be alright, make any last-minute preparations for the coming storm.

Lovina loved tomatoes as much as her twin loved cats and pasta. This little garden, with its seven rows of tomato plants, was her favorite place, her safe haven. She'd tended it earlier, but now she fussed slightly, making sure the earth was just damp enough, pulling a few stray weeds.

"They are well cared for, _señorita_," a soft, Spanish-accent voice said.

Lovina squeaked, popping to her feet in the middle of her garden, almost crushing a plant. When she located the figure, though, she scowled. He was standing by the back gate, which was usually left open anyway. Roma had the estate well guarded, but he was also a kind man. The gate by the kitchens and small gardens was left open at times, particularly in the winter, so beggars and homeless folk could find shelter here.

"Don't sneak up on me, Spanish bastard," snapped Lovina, glaring at him as she carefully separated herself from her precious garden.

The man, though he seemed young, was hunched over and had a limp as he hobbled next to the far side of the garden. He wore layers of ratty, moth-eaten rags, even though it was summer. All she could really see were the mud-caked bare feet, and dancing emerald eyes in the shadow of a sack hood. Even then, it was only because of the lantern she'd set on the upturned bucket near him.

"I'm sorry, _señorita_, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just admiring your garden. Do you tend it for your mistress?"

Lovina flushed. "No, it's mine. I tend it for myself."

Hidden eyebrows lifted. "I wasn't aware servants were allowed privet gardens on the grounds of nobles."

"I'm not a servant, _idiota_," snapped Lovina. "I'm a lady."

The hunched figure preformed a fluid, if small bow, ducking his head. "My mistake, my lady. I am not accustomed to nobility with such tastes."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Lovina, hands on hips. "Why'd you even stop, anyway?"

"I love tomatoes," he said with a shrug. "It is not often I met someone with the same passion for them that I have. That is the only way they grow like this, _s__ì?_ The Lord gave us all a gift, and I think this is yours, my lady."

Lovina hesitated. Then she stepped over to a short wooden container, and lifted the lid. She selected a tomato she had plucked earlier that day, and replaced the lid. Walking over to the begger, she held it out to him.

"Flatery doesn't work of me, bastard, but take it anyway. Grandpa Roma keeps a place over there where you can spend the night. You might want it, a storm is coming."

Hands that matched his feet apeared, lightly plucking the fruit from her hand. Emerald eyes met hers.

"_Gracias_, my lady," he said, giving anouther hunch-backed bow.

Lovina watched him as he half hobbled, half shuffled to the building she'd pointed out. Only when he'd disapeared inside did she return to her garden.

When she returned to her bed that night, she found it hard to fall asleep. As it was, when she did, it seemed like only moments when she was woken again.

Lovina sat up in her bed, nose twitching. What was that, smoke?

Quickly, she scrambled from her bed and threw open the heavy wooden doors of her balcony. The city outside the house gates was in utter chaios. Fires were springing up everywhere, peaple were screaming and running amuck in utter panic. The chuch bell tolled a warning to those who weren't already aware.

Worst of all was the figures in the harbor, silueted by burning, sinking ships. A great pirate ship, flying the jolly rodger, flanked by two slightly smaller ones. It was one of the few ships not on fire.

Hurridly, Lovina ran back into her room. She stripped off her nightgown, donning instead the red dress she had worn earlier. She was tugging on her boots when her door flew open, Fleiciana bursting in. She looked like she had thrown on her blue dress in a hurry, boots of her own addorning her feet. She clutched a gray cat in her arms, eyes wide in fear.

"What's going on, where's _Nonno_?"

"Come on," said Lovina, running passed her and grabbing her arm as she went. "We have to get out of here."

"What about Grandpa? And Luddy?"

"They'll be fine, they're men, remember? They can fight, and _Nonno_ is a vetren. We don't know how to use swords. We have to get to the church."

As they ran down the stairs, something big rammed loudly against the front doors. The sisters skidded to a halt, gasping as they stared at it. The huge, iron belted and studded door wasn't easy to budge, but that bang had sounded like thunder. Gaurds were gathering in the main room, brandishing weapons as they tucked in night shirts.

_BANG!_

"They're coming in," said Lovina, dragging her sister back into the house. "This way!"

"Why us?" asked Feliciana, eyes the sise of saucers.

"This is the lord's house, remember? We're nobles, nobles have money."

"If we give it up, will they leave us alone?"

"I doubt it," said Lovina, bursting out the kitchen door. Servents were running every which way, some raiding the kitchen for weapons, others following Lovina's planed escape route.

"Where's _Nonno_?" pleaded Feliciana.

"Shut up!"

Lovina hated snapping at her sister, but there was no time now.

They ran out through the gate and into the back allies. Ignoring the filthy area they had come out through, the sisters followed the fleeing scullery maids through the back streets, coming out on a main road by a burning spice shop.

Lovina caughed on the smoke, looking around bleary at the chaos. Men were fighting, people were screaming, fire crackling as smoke filled the night sky. Somewhere in the distace, the church bell still tolled.

"Remember the way to the church?" asked Lovina suddenly, turning to her sister.

Feliciana wouldn't last ten seconds out here. Lovina, at least, could hold her own long enough to _do_ something. Find _Nonno_ at least...maybe Ludwig too. She might not like him, but he took good care of her sister after all.

Her twin nodded, wide eyed.

"Then go, I'll meet you there," she said, shoving her away and turning back down the street.

"What about you?"

"I'll find _Nonno_."

"And Ludwig too!"

Lovina ran into the street, hoping Fleiciana would make for the church. As she circled back, she skirted several pairs of raiding pirates, finally reaching the main gate. Trying not to look too hard at the bodies of the dead garuds and pirate alike, she picked her way through the mess. It took a massive amount of will power to stay focused and not loose her stomach.

_Focus, idiota,_ she snapped at herself. _Find Nonno and that damn German._

Ludwig was easy to find, a blond haired man at six fee tall. Lovina was impressed with him and his silent-giant grandfather, who were holding their own on the swarming pirates.

"Roma!" she shouted over the noise. _"Nonno!"_

"Feli, _was machst du?_ Get out of here!"

Even now, Lovina scowled. Ludwig had only gotten them mixed up once, when they'd first met three years ago. He was in the minority.

"I'm-

"Lovina!"

She turned, meaning to sarcastically thank whoever it was, and was startled to see her grandfather yanking his sword from a dead pirate and make his way over to her.

"Get out of here, go to the church," he said, grabbing one of her shoulders. "You have to run. Where's your sister?"

"I sent her ahead. Grandpa, what about you?"

"I'll be find, _bambina_, now go."

"But-

"Go!"

He shoved her twoards the gate. Lovina stumbled, and then ran. The pirates seemed to be returning to their ships with plunder, or converging on the noble house. Once she'd slipped passed the latter, it was a straight shot through panicing streets to the church. Or at least, so she had thought.

In truth, she made it two blocks through the smokey streets. She had just tripped over what she hoped was a sleeping drunk when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

Lovina jumped, tearing away with a shriek. The grip found her again, this time tightening. When she looked up, she met the grinning face of a snagle-toothed pirate.

"Ye be one 'o them pretty ladies from the fancy house?"

"Let go of me you filthy _bastardo!_" snapped Lovina, lashing out.

The man frowned. "No? Oh well, at least you're pretty."

"What are you doing? Put me down!"

The pirate had dumped her over his shoulder and was now jogging towards the harbor. Lovina kicked, screamed, and wiggled, but nothing had an effect. Deciding she'd best save her energy for later efforts, she resigned herself to wait out the ride. It was easier said than done, though. The man's shoulder dug into her belly, and he carried that special scent that came from going a month or so with no bath.

When he reached a row boat, where several of his freinds had already loaded various sacks of money or other precious items, she waited until he lossed ins grip to start struggling again.

"Watch it!" he protested as she landed a good cuff on his head.

Lovina, for all her temper, was no match for the beefy armed pirate. She found herself dumped into the boat, and then threatened with rather sharp daggers should she decide to try to escape. She found herself unable to do anything but watch, helpless to change her fate, as they rowed out to the main ship.

Others were already returning by the boat load. The two smaller ships had docked, and pirates were streaming back onto them. By the time Lovina was dragged out onto the deck, the ship was turning away. Lovina felt queezy as the men laughed over a sucessful raid, even more so when the other men started asking if they might barrow her. At that point she blocked everything out, so she didn't hear the silence as the last person climbed aboard.

She was still trying to swollow just what had happened in the last half hour as the pirate grabbed her arm again.

"Yes, Grange, all the booty. That includes women too."

"Let go," snapped Lovina, jerking and clawing at the hand as she was thrust foward.

She lifted her head, glowering at the man that stood just apart from the others. The deck was well lit with torches and lanters. The 'booty', or stollen money and treasures, reflected the light, making it seem even brighter. As such, the man was quite well illuminated considering it was the middle of the night.

The captain, as he almost had to be, stood nearly six feet tall in height. He had broad shoulders, standing tall and proud. He wore black boots, brown breeches, a white shirt half open, and a long red coat that opened cape-like around him. Belts and holsters were slung aorund his hips and criss-crossed his torso, holding twin pistols, a rapior, and several dagers. In his hands easily held a heavy pole, attached to which was a double headed axe. It was easily as long as he was tall, yet he handled it with ease.

He wasn't nearlly as hard to look at as the rest of his crew, though Lovina was loath to admit it. He had golden brown skin and handsome features. His hair was no more than four inches from his skalp, slightly curly and chocolate brown. His emerald eyes glinted strangy in the yellow light.

Those eyes zeroed in on her, regarding her carefully. A smile curved up on his lips.

"It seems you've brought me an unusual prize, Grange." He shifted the axe to his right hand, and stepped foreard to grip her wrist with his left.

"But that only applies to the nobles," protested Grange. "She ain't noble."

"_Al contrario_," said the captain, smiling. "Allow me to introduce Lady Lovina Vargas. Grandaughter to Lord Roma Vargas."

Lovina stared, and then glared at him. She jerked at the grip, but he held fast.

"She don't talk like a noble," said Grange, still frowning.

"Shut up, bastard," snapped Lovina, turning her glower on him.

"No, she doesn't," the captain agreed cheerfully. "This way, my lady."

Lovina found herself led along, the crowd of crew members parting for them. They went down a short flight of stairs and through a door, the bar of which the captain settled firmly before releasing her. Lovina stumbled away, and then swung around to glare at him as she took slow steps back.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "How do you know who I am?"

"You told me, _señorita_," he said, smiling warmly. In any other situation, she might have softened a bit at that.

"I've never met you before in my life, _idiota_," she snapped.

"I did look a bit different last time," he said, going over to the desk. "I didn't give you my name either. _Triste_, I don't always remember my manners."

He tossed something to her in a light, underhand throw. She caught it instinctively, and then found she could only stare. It was a ripe, newly picked tomato.

When she looked up again, he set his axe aside and gave her a deep, formal bow. "Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, captain of the _Delfín_ _Rojo_, at your service my lady."

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Shout out to Reviewers** **Hintori-hime and KiraSerket! **

**I'm pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm my non-yaoi stories are getting!**

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><p>Lovina stared at him. "You-you were the beggar," she spluttered. "What the hell where you doing there? I should have had you arrested while I had the chance! And why the hell did you keep this?"<p>

The captain stepped back around the desk, plucking it from her fingers and returning it to the wooden surface. "It is a very good tomato, I was thinking of saving it as an after-raid snack. I didn't think I'd ever see you again, my lady. It was a sad thought."

He was standing closer to her now. She wasn't sure if this was supposed to make her feel good or bad, so she took a step back.

"Sad for you maybe, bastard, but good for me. I am a damn prisoner on a damn pirate ship."

"You say that as though it's a bad thing, _señorita,_" he commented, eyes dancing.

Lovina felt her fists clinch. "People are _dead_ because of you. You're a liar and a thief and a murderer. I want nothing to do with the likes of you."

"I do not control the individual actions of my men, _señorita,_" he said sadly. "I do not kill unless it is self defense."

"What do you want with me?" asked Lovina, trying to keep her voice from shaking as she met his gaze. "What is going to happen to me?"

"I can't let you leave," he mused, wandering over to the back window. He clasped his hands behind his back, looking out at the sky as they sped away from the coast. The window panes spanned the length of the room, though with it being the middle of the night it was difficult to see through them.

Lovina eyed the axe leaning in a nitch on the wall. Then her eyes fell on the decorative dagger on the desk. She had a feeling there were plenty more weapons around the room, improvised or otherwise, but those were the two most obvious.

"I suppose you'll be staying with us for a while, Lady Vargas."

Her hand closed around the dagger's hilt, and she braced a hand against the sheath to pull it out.

"Windows are fascinating, _s__ì__?_ They are clear, and you can see right through them, but only if the other side is lighter. If your side is lighter, it is like a mirror."

Lovina's head snapped up to look at him even as she yanked the dagger free. The steel blade hissed as it was unsheathed, and she held it ready in one hand. Though the captain had not turned, he was regarding her coolly in the reflection.

"I don't give a damn about the windows, bastard. I just want you to let me go."

"Why would I do that, Lady Vargas?" he asked, turning to face her, a kind smile on his face. "This is the first time I've had the pleasure of traveling with _una belleza_, such as yourself. What could I possibly have to gain by releasing you?"

"What do you have to gain by keeping me?" Lovina countered, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks. Sure Feliciana and Roma said she was pretty, beautiful, but they were family, it didn't count. Feliciana was the one who got called beautiful by others, not her. Apparently her personality was a natural people-repellent, and she usually didn't mind. She wasn't the social type.

"As opposed to your release or giving you back to the crew?" he asked, eyes twinkling as he raised an eyebrow.

"What's the difference between a bastard and a crew of bastards?"

The twinkling vanished, the brows dropping slightly. "I take care of my crew, but I am not like them, _señorita_. We don't spend much time on land, which is the only time they can find female company. Unlike them I care whether or not I have consent before I bed someone."

Lovina felt pale, but kept her death grip on the dagger, her eyes locked on the captain.

"If you have such a shinning moral code, then let me go."

"I have a code, but I wouldn't call it shinning," the pirate chuckled, idly making his way over to her. With each soft thump of well-made boot on the wooden floor, Lovina found herself fighting the urge to back towards the door. "I am not without sin, Lady Vargas, but I draw my lines."

"Stay away from me, bastard," she hissed, shifting her grip on the dagger, bending her arm back slightly.

Eyes glinting, Captain Carriedo cocked his head slightly. "Be careful with that, _señorita, _you might hurt yourself."

"I'm not some wimpy noble brat," hissed Lovina.

"I know. That's why I warned you."

Before Lovina could make sense of that, Captain Carriedo was darting forward. She took a step back in surprise, stabbing at the approaching man. The Spaniard slipped easily to the side of the blade, grabbing her wrist in an iron grip and forcing her hand open. Lovina gasped as it clattered to the floor, his free hand gripping her jaw.

Her back hit the wall. Lovina felt fear stronger than anything she had felt yet churning in her belly. It was the first time the danger, the brutal reality of what could be done to her, had been so…intimate. He was so much taller, broader, and stronger than her. His hand wrapped easily around her right wrist, his fingers overlapping. She thrashed and struggled with everything she had, but even then she could barley move.

The hand on her jaw jerked her face up, forcing her to meet the glinting emerald gaze.

"I did try to warn you," he chided gently.

"Let go of me you son of a-

"No, none of that," he said, smiling as he shifted his grip on her jaw, clamping her mouth shut. She glowered at him, even as her heart pounded in her chest. "But there is a price for getting free, _mi __pequeño tomate_. Tell me, have you been kissed before?"

Lovina found herself spluttering as he returned to his original grip on her jaw. Not just at the question, but at what he called her. "W-What the hell? What kind of a question is that? Of course I've been kissed. And there's no way in hell I'm _anyone's_ little tomato, let alone _yours_ you bastard!"

"Liar," chided the Spaniard, a smile on his face.

Before Lovina could defend her lie, the captain did something that froze her in place. Holding her jaw in a surprisingly strong grip between thumb and forefinger, he dipped down, slanting his mouth across hers.

It was…strange. His lips were cool, but then everything seemed to grow very warm very fast. They moved over hers, gone as limp from shock as the rest of her. He gently sucked on her lower lip, even as he moved his fingers higher up on her jaw, forcing it open.

When he started to slip his tongue through her lips, Lovina snapped out of it. She waited, still in semi-shock, until he was passed her teeth before biting down as hard as she could.

The Spaniard yelped, tearing away from her. Well, tearing his _mouth_ away from her. It was a start.

"I can't _believe_ you just did that," Lovina hissed. "What's your problem, _bastardo_?"

"I thought you said you'd been kissed before," teased the captain, eyes dancing brighter than they had before.

Lovina's answer was to jerk her knee up as hard as she could. Why hadn't she tried it before?

Emerald eyes went wide, white showing all the way around the green. A strange, remarkably high pitched wheeze escaped his lips. Lovina tore from the frozen hands, shoving him away. He staggered back a step, doubling over, but he was straightening slowly as she made a dash for the door.

Lovina grabbed the heavy bar, throwing her shoulder into it as she tried to heave it open. She managed to get it halfway out of its slot when a tanned hand slammed it back down again.

Whirling to glare at her captor, ready to give him the tongue-lashing of a lifetime, Lovina found herself faced with an expression she had yet to see. For once, there was no trace of twinkling or amusement, or anything remotely positive in those emerald eyes. They seemed darker, more dangerous. Everything about Captain Carriedo did. Lovina realized with a chill she had crossed a line, realized she had sparked a temper she hadn't known existed. In her burst of temper she'd almost forgotten that she'd actually heard of this man before. The infamous pirate, Captain Carriedo, one of four who roamed the seas and had been labeled by the East India Trading Co. as a Pirate Lord. The price on his head was second only to that put on Captain Kirkland, a former admiral in Her Majesty's Navy. Carriedo himself was said to be a former conquistador.

"Ungrateful _moza_," he growled, his voice sending a chill down her back despite the fact it was still an octave or two too high. "Would you rather be tossed back to those _mestizos_ _sucios_? Do you have any idea what they would do to you then?"

Lovina stared up at him, fear piercing her heart like a dagger.

He constricted his grip, making her eyes tighten as pain shot down her arm. "I am your best bet, accept that. Why can't you see your position clearly, _tonto_?"

Before she could even contemplate an answer, he spun them around and shoved her onto the bed. Lovina landed with a gasp, and soon found her boots being yanked from her feet. She tried to kick out, struggling to sit up and scramble away, but then the captain was over her, pinning her down. He grabbed her flailing wrists, pinning them above her head, pinning her legs under his knees before she could kick him again.

"Understand your position, Lady Vargas," he said coldly.

Lovina glowered up at him, though she was fighting tears. "I understand it just fine, _bastardo_, now let me go!"

"No, I don't think you do, _señorita_. Not every fight can be one by merely a sharp tongue. If you keep going like this you'll get yourself killed, or worse."

This time there was no sharp comeback on her tongue. It was a rare event for Lovina. It was the first time since she could remember that she was too scared to even lash out. And what did she have left to lash out with if not words? The reason she used them to begin with was because she shared her twin's borderline petite frame, and while a slender figure was lovely when it came to dresses it did nothing to help you win a fight. Carriedo was holding her down without seeming to try. She was at his mercy.

Closing her eyes in hopes of keeping the tears at bay, she asked in a low voice, "What do you want, Carriedo?"

Lovina started as he sighed, and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry to frighten you, _señorita_. But it would break my heart to see something happen to you because you challenged the wrong person."

Lovina's eyes flew open, a startled gasp escaping as the pirate stopped supporting himself, flopping down on top of her. She jerked away as he nuzzled her neck, chuckling. "I have no wish to hurt you, Lovi. And don't call me Carriedo. My name is Antonio."

_ "Lovi?"_ demanded the girl incredulously.

_"Sì,"_ said the pirate. She could feel him smiling, and started wiggling again.

"You might want to stop doing that. You're already tempting enough," chuckled the pirate.

Lovina froze. "Pervert!" she blurted, face flushing.

"Only for you."

"Get your oversized pirate ass off me!"

The only response this got was a patient sigh. "Go to sleep, Lovi."

"Like this?!"

"You smell nice," he mused sleepily.

Lovina groaned, exasperated. "_Dio,_ what kind of pirate are you?"

"At the moment? A rich, happy, and very tired one. Now go to sleep or I'll put you in the brig."

"I'll take the brig."

"And I'll leave the key with one of my least-trusted men."

Lovina clamped her mouth shut. Still, she was tired. When she nodded off she was muttering a variety of names at the pirate that she knew the nuns would not approve of.

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><p>When Lovina opened her eyes groggily, it was to morning light streaming through the windows. She was on her side on the large bed, one of the blankets thrown over her. For a moment she stared at it, frowning. It took all of a few seconds to remember what had happened the night before and where she was. It took a few more before she realized Carriedo was gone, and had apparently put the blanket over her before leaving.<p>

Muttering about perverted pirates, Lovina crawled off the bed and went searching for her boots. They were scattered on the floor just passed the foot of the bed, and she set about yanking them on. She had one foot shod and was yanking on the second when the door opened.

She looked up in time to see the Spaniard push the door open, balancing a tray in one hand. He smiled when he saw her, though she noticed he didn't even bother to shut the door. He carried the tray to the desk, setting it down.

Ignoring it, Lovina slowly got to her feet, planning a break for the door.

"Don't waste your time, _señorita_. Please, come, sit, eat. The food is always best after a raid."

Lovina glared at him, but didn't move from her current position. "What do you mean waste of time?"

He turned to her, still smiling, and said, "We've had the favor of the wind ever since we left Port Diego, Lovi. We are nowhere near land, and even a good swimmer would risk running into more pirates before they reached it."

Lovina gave him one last glare, and then eyed the food. It was an hour passed sunrise, at least, and she was hungry. She saw bread, cheese, apples, and a dull bronze goblet.

As he turned to leave Carriedo said, "You're welcome to roam the ship, Lovi, but please try to avoid the weapons. My crew will use any excuse to get their hands on you."

Rather than snap at him, Lovina went for the food. She was starving, and despite what she may thing of the pirate he was right. The food was good, though the goblet looked suspiciously like the ones kept in the kitchen for use when _Nonno_ wasn't entertaining guests.

Once she'd cleaned the plate and drained the goblet, Lovina turned towards the door with a sigh. _It might be a while before I get a chance to get away,_ she thought grimly. Might as well have a look around. Then she grudgingly admitted, at least he's not keeping me locked up in one room all day.

Resigned for the time being, she marched towards the still open door.

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><p><strong>Please note that I only know a few random words in various languages that are not English. What I don't know is left in the hands of the sometimes sketchy Google Translate. If I make a mistake please don't be offended, it was a honest one, and feel free to review and correct me so that I can go back and fix it. I'm a stickler for accuracy, ladies and gents.<strong>

**Spanish Translations:**

**Una belleza- a beauty**

**Moza- essentially 'wench' as I understand it.**

**Mestizos sucios- dirty mongrels  
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**Tonto- 'idiot'**

**If Lovina has to get creative in her swearing I will put up translations of those too, but I think the classics can be easily recognized.**

**Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, now seems a really good time to remind readers that my account is less than a week old at this point. I'm learning as a go. One of those recently learned things is that when I _want_ to update doesn't have supreme power over _when_ I update.**

**Shout out to Reviewers Deutschland3 and Angy! If you think I'm slow now, you should see what happens when I don't think anyone is enjoying my work :) **

**That said, enjoy!  
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><p>The crew appeared to be hung-over as a general rule, more interested in scowling grouchily and shuffling about their duties than bothering her. The other two ships were flaking the <em>Delfín<em> _Rojo_, though both were slightly smaller in size.

Lovina picked her way across the deck to the rail on the starboard side. No matter how much she strained, she couldn't see a trace of land in any direction. When she move to the rail on the portside, she got the same result.

"Damn it," she muttered, hitting the rail. Now she'd have to wait until they made another stop or raid before she could make a break for it.

"I know you might not enjoy this."

Lovina started, swinging around to glower at the captain. He just smiled sweetly and continued, "But the sea is beautiful, _s__ì_? She is both a cruel mistress and an enchanting one. It would be very hard for me to leave her."

"You say that like I give a damn, _bastardo_," growled Lovina

The captain just continued to smile. "If you are biding your time I'm afraid I must disappoint you, _señorita_. I don't let treasures slip through my fingers so easily."

With that he turned and walked away, making his way up to the helm where a crew member stood at the wheel. The wind made his red coat ripple around him, the feather in his hat bending against it. He took out a bronze spy glass and started scanning the horizon, ignoring the wind that pulled their sails taunt.

Lovina shook herself off, stalking to the front of the ship. She'd been sailing before, on her grandfathers ships. The _Delfín_ _Rojo_ was hardly the newly made, top-of-the-line ships her _Nonno_ used to transport people and goods. She was sleeker, as were the two that flanked her, built as much for speed as they were hauling booty. While both seemed a bit run down, Lovina knew good ships when she saw them. These would weather the worst of storms if captained right. She was reluctantly glad of that, as while she wouldn't mind seeing Carriedo go down she most defiantly did not want to go down with him.

She turned away from the rail, but as she did Lovina found her hair billowing into her face. Muttering curses, she grabbed at the copper locks, trying to shove them behind her face. After a minute of trying to get her hair under control, with no apparent success, she turned back into the wind so that it blew the strands behind her again.

Lovina looked down at her dress for a moment, studying it. Then she selected the ribbon stitched around the right cuff, and started ripping it from the fabric as neatly as she could. Despite her efforts the results were somewhat ragged, but she did manage to get the ribbon free.

Muttering under her breath, Lovina faced into the wind, gathering her hair behind her. She tied it back as best she could with the ribbon, and while there were at least a dozen strands still free to tickle her face most of it was held in check. She'd seen some fabric among the gold and other booty, but she doubted even lethargic pirates would appreciate her going near their take, no matter what the reason.

Shoving the flyaway's behind her ears in a fruitless attempt to get them to stay put, Lovina looked back up at the captain. He was bent over a table now, a thoughtful frown on his face. Realizing he was plotting their course, Lovina stomped back towards the helm.

"Where the hell are we going?" she asked as she climbed up. The crewman at the wheel glanced at her, but then went back to his daydreaming.

The captain glanced up at her, and then started rolling up the map. "You do remember the part about not being allowed off the ship, yes?"

Lovina glared at him. "Of course I do, but I still want to know where this damn ship is going. You owe me that much, _bastardo_."

Smiling cheerfully, he said, "I will tell you, but only if you promise to start calling me Antonio."

Reasoning that she barely called him by name anyway, she said, "Fine."

Slipping the map into an inner pocket of his long cloak, Antonio said, "We are going to Tortuga. My men like to celebrate after a good haul."

Lovina frowned. "What's Tortuga?"

"A simple port tow, a pirate haven, if you will. Not very nice if you're not a pirate. It's four days sailing from Port Diego, but if the weather stays like this we should make it in three."

"How long are we going to be staying there?" asked Lovina wearily. The idea of being docked at a place known to be a pirate haven didn't sit well with her. While she had a shaky trust that Antonio wouldn't try anything sober, the same didn't go for a horde of drunk pirates.

Antonio shrugged, going to stand by the rail. "We stay until I decide on our next heading, or the crew go through their spoils. Whichever happens first." Smiling wryly he said, "You would be amazed how quickly they go through gold. It's why the raids have to produce so much. If I don't let them take as much as they can, then they'll be demanding a new heading in less than a week."

"It ain't our fault, captain," protested the man standing at the wheel. "Rum is cheap, but the ladies ain't."

Captain Carriedo turned to regard the man coolly. "Juan, you are in the presence of a lady. Keep your tongue civil or I will cut it out."

Lovina didn't believe the threat. Though judging by the way the color left the man's face, he didn't agree. She frowned at Antonio, who had turned back to the sea. She genuinely didn't believe he would do it...right? Then again, this man had sailed with Antonio, presumably, long enough to know whether or not this was true. And hadn't she been faced with that same iciness just last night? For all his smiles and cheer, captain Carriedo wasn't to be taken lightly.

"What the hell do you expect me to do?" she demanded, fists on hips. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my life doing nothing on a stupid ship, _idiota_."

Antonio cocked his head. "We will find something for you to do, don't worry _señorita_. Do you not find freedom from work enjoyable?"

Lovina huffed, folding her arms. "Depends on the work, _bastardo_."

The crewman turned, opening his mouth, but quickly snapped it shut and faced forward again when he saw Antonio still had an eye on him.

"You really shouldn't give them openings like that, Lovi. Now, what kind of work do you have in mind?"

"Well, do- _Lovi?_ Where the hell did that come from?"

"It is cute, _s__ì_?" asked Antonio, smiling brightly.

"No. Don't call me that," growled Lovina.

"Then what should I call you?"

"How about my name, _idiota_."

"Only if you return the favor, Lovi."

Lovina glowered at him. Antonio continued to smile. Finally she growled, "Fine, _Antonio_."

"See? Was that so hard?"

One advantage of living in a port city was that, in ditching lessons and functions, Lovina had found herself among sailing folk. It was where she had learned her creative vocabulary, and learned several useful hand gestures. Now seemed like an opportune time to use one of her favorites, which indicated the person to whom it was directed should attempt something physically impossible.

Antonio arched an eyebrow. "Where did you learn that, Lovi?"

"I thought you said you wouldn't call me that!"

"Only if you call me Antonio, and I would appreciate it if you would stop making rude hand gestures, Lovi. It's not ladylike."

"I'll be ladylike when I want to be _bast_- _Antonio_," Lovina corrected at the last minute. She didn't want to give him any more excuses to call her by that irritating nickname. "Do you know what being a lady means?"

The pirate considered this, and then leaned back against the side of the ship, folding his arms. "Enlighten me, Lady Vargas. Just what does being nobility entail?"

Temper spiking, Lovina found herself growling out her answer. "It means, Antonio, that while the lords get to frolic the damned grounds and get lessons in sword fighting and horseback riding, we're stuck inside that damned house getting hit with switches. Every time you don't do what that bitch of a governess told you to perfectly, she'd find something to hit with a switch. 'Keep your back straight! Don't slouch!', have you ever spent an entire afternoon sitting in a chair with your back tied to a board? 'Get out of the kitchens! Ladies don't cook! Get back to that embroidery!' Then when I stabbed myself so much with that damned needle she'd switch me for getting blood on the cloth! 'Ladies are always conscious of the latest fashions and dress accordingly.' On top of everything else she made me wear a corset every day from breakfast to dinner until _Nonno_ made her leave. Let me tell you, you don't know pain until you put on a corset. If you try to do anything besides sit daintily in a corner your at risk of passing out because you can't _breathe_."

By the end of her rant Lovina had gone from growling to yelling. She made herself stop, panting as she waited for Antonio to react. She half expected a lecture of some sort, or worse, a reappearance of that chilling, merciless persona.

Instead, shocking her, he smiled as sweetly as before and asked, "You like to cook?"

Lovina blinked a few times, but said carefully, "Yes?"

"_Maravilloso!_ I haven't been able to find a real cook willing to sail with me yet. I could force one, of course, but I'd rather not worry about poison. Come, come, I will show you the kitchen. It's never been used, though. It will be a little messy. Are you coming, Lovina?"

"I..._s__ì_," said Lovina, slowly trialing after him. Was he serious? There was no way the pirate was honest about this, he was tricking her. The only reason _Nonno_ hadn't kept the twins from the kitchens was because he hadn't the heart. Lovina was fully aware anyone else would have banned them from it, but he had indulged them. On the other hand, people liked food, especially men she'd found. Perhaps he didn't care who prepared it so long as it was prepared.

"You'll let me cook?" she clarified, trialing the captain below.

Antonio smiled at her over his shoulder. "Of course. It makes you happy, and we get to eat good food. Everyone wins, _s__ì?"_

Lovina opened her mouth, and then closed it. What was she supposed to say to that? What's more, the words 'it makes you happy' repeated in her mind over and over. No one had said that before...

Then Antonio opened the door to the small kitchen, and Lovina groaned. _"Buon Dio,_ _qualcuno ha mai_ _pulito_ _qui?_"

"Eh, not really. I'm afraid you will need to clean it before you can use it."

Lovina glared at him, but started rolling up her sleeves. "Where's the damned mop?

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><p><strong>Maravilloso- wonderful<strong>

**Buon Dio, qualcuno ha mai pulito qui?- Good God, has anyone ever cleaned in here? **

**Please Review! Will when I can!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shout out to Hinotori-hime! No my friend, you are not the only shipper of this pairing! :)**

**The only thing with writing a Spamano story was that, while it is one of my favored pairings, I was a little worried about my portrayal of them. Delighted to know I'm on the right track!  
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><p>Lovina didn't realize she'd spent the entire day scrubbing away at the filthy kitchen until Antonio came in with a lantern. She was standing back in the doorway, trying to decide if she'd gotten everything.<p>

The pirate whistled softly. "I should have gone to Port Diego years ago, Lovi."

"Don't call me that," she grumbled, glaring at him. She would have been more enthusiastic about it, but she was tired. She might enjoy working, keeping her hands busy, but it was still tiring.

"It still suits you," he chuckled. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he gently guided her out, pulling the door closed. "Come, you can cook tomorrow. Tonight, eat, rest, _s__ì__?_"

Lovina had to smother a yawn before she eyed him. "Am I going to have to sleep in your damned bedroom again?"

"Where else would you sleep? Consider it your safe haven, Lovi. I tell my crew, unless it is life or death or I'm already dead, don't go in my rooms. One did not listen, so I killed him. Now the others listen. Besides, if you do not sleep in my bed with me, you sleep below with the crew."

"That's blackmail, _bastardo_," muttered Lovina, deciding their previous deal was no longer in effect.

"Maybe. I don't mind."

"How the hell can you smile so much?" demanded Lovina as she stomped across the deck. "You're a damn pirate."

Antonio considered this as he held the door open for her. "Yes, I am a pirate. That does not mean I can't be nice. You know that, right?"

Lovina was about to snap "no", but stopped herself. What if that made him mad, like before? Once she was thinking about it, she had to admit he wasn't all that bad. Hell, compared to her old governess, the pirate was a saint when it came down to how they treated her. Yes she was a prisoner here, and given the chance she'd run like hell. Yes she'd been scared shitless her first night there, but even so he hadn't actually physically hurt her. He didn't hit her or yell at her, didn't degrade her or make her feel like a waste of resources, just the opposite actually.

"You're a damn ass, you know that?" she informed him, marching passed the pirate into what she now viewed as the world's most comfortable prison cell. _"Sei un bastardo stupido."_

"Are the excessive insults because you're about to complement me, Lovi?" asked Antonio, smiling as he shut the door and lowered the bar into place.

Glaring out the window, ignoring the heat in her face, Lovina said, "You're nicer than that bitch ever was. Better than nothing, _bastardo_."

Antonio's face brightened, something Lovina hadn't thought possible. "Really? So all the nasty names don't mean you hate me?"

Before Lovina could set him straight, he executed a hug attack, grabbing her up and lifting her feet off the floor. "Hey! Let me go _idiota_! Put me down you stupid-

The pirate cut her off before she could finish her insult, and Lovina's eyes went wide. She was too shocked by the fact he actually _kissed_ her to do more than hold perfectly still. She was still mimicking a statue when Antonio pulled away, still smiling.

"I still can't believe you've never been kissed, Lovi," he said, setting her down on her feet. "I know you have a temper, but you're very pretty."

Lovina vaguely heard him, but her arm was already in motion. No sooner had he finished the complement did the smacking sound of skin-on-skin ring through the cabin. It had been a reflex, really, she was still startled by the combination of the kiss and getting called 'very pretty'. It wasn't something she was used to, to say the least.

Antonio just blinked at her, her hand still resting where it had slapped him on the cheek. He seemed more baffled than upset, returning her stare. "Eh...you okay, Lovi?"

Lovina yanked her hand away, and really hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt, she demanded, "Why the hell did you call me pretty, pirate _bastardo_?!"

Said pirate cocked his head, and smiled, despite the red handprint he was now sporting. "It is true, no? Lovina is very pretty, even if she had a dirty mouth and gets mad a lot."

Again, this was not something she was used to. So rather than swear or punch him, or both, Lovina found herself frozen in place, face getting redder and redder.

Antonio's smile broadened, and he poked her cheek cheerfully, "Your face looks like a tomato! It really suites you. I never saw a cute tomato before."

Lovina had never been so embarrassed in all her life. It finally erupted, breaking her shock. "Get out!" she shrieked, shoving the pirate towards the door. "Get out, get out, _get out!"_

Antonio, still grinning, was quick to scurry out, though he did lock the door behind him. Lovina braced her hands against the wood, head hanging as she breathed heavily. What was wrong with her? Yes she had a temper but usually she had more control than this. It was pathetic how easily he could derail her. Then again, aside from her family no one had ever called her 'pretty' before.

Was that it, why he did it so easily? She was used to odd looks, to being ignored by people _Nonno_ labeled 'prospective husbands'. It was the first time in her life she wasn't ignored in favor of Feliciana. Even after she'd met Ludwig, and the first meeting was all it took for Feliciana to decide, they still had their eyes on her. Even when a blind man could see she adored Ludwig...Lovina had tried to ignore it, hiding behind her temper, but it still stung. She knew her personality had had a lot to do with it, and they were twins for pities sake. Why else would everyone and their mother think Feliciana so much more attractive?

_If he meets Feli, he'll change his mind,_ she thought miserably. _Everyone does. He just hasn't met her yet. Even_ Nonno _liked her better. He never said it because he's not supposed to play favorites, but he never had to._

Lovina, tired and brooding, drifted over to the corner under the window. The sun was setting on the other side of the ship, slowly dipping the room into shadows. She sat with her back to the wall, drawing her knees up under her chin. Even though she was hungry, she wished Antonio would stay away, though he would most likely bring food when he came back. That was just her luck, wasn't it? The only person to have a notable level of interest in her was a pirate.

Closing her eyes, it wasn't long before Lovina nodded off, still trying to decide if this was just an elaborate way of getting into her skirts or if Antonio really did have a fondness for her.

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><p>When Lovina woke up, she was starving. As she sat up, it occurred to her that she should he sore and cold as well. Considering she'd fallen asleep in a tight position on the floor, she should have been. Now she found herself in the bed, covered in blankets. A tray with more food on it sat on the desk, just like the day before. Antonio was gone again, though when she started to crawl off the bed she found the other side still a little warm.<p>

The food was the same, but still good, fresh from the raid. Besides, she was starving, and even half rotten food would have tasted good. Lovina cleaned the tray, gulped the water down, and went to the door. It was open again, and she wondered if Antonio didn't just lock it at night.

There were a few white puffy clouds on the sky when she came out on deck, looking around. The sun shone down brightly from its place in the mid-morning sky, warming her face. Lovina found herself cracking a smile, and though she knew the sun would no doubt become blistering later in the afternoon, it felt nice now.

The wind was just as strong as the day before, and she grimaced as the flyaway's and stray locks attacked her face once more. The ribbon had come loose in the night, and before she could grab it the wind whipped it away, yanking it overboard before she could grab it.

"Damn it," she muttered, grabbing at her locks.

Heaving a sigh, she turned back into the wind, letting it push her hair back away from her face. This time she ripped the ribbon from her other cuff, leaving it as ragged as its partner. She tied it around as much of her hair as she could, huffing out a sigh when she'd finished.

"I can see why sailors hack the stuff off," she grumbled to no one in particular.

"Don't do that, Lovi," said a voice from behind her. When she swung around, startled, she found Antonio standing behind her, a frown on his face. How hadn't she heard him come up? He was wearing boots on a wooden ship for pities sake.

"Why not?" she demanded, folding her arms. She'd never actually cut it off, she liked her long hair thank you very much. That didn't change the fact that it was damned annoying when you were on a ship where the wind was constantly blowing.

"You shouldn't," he insisted, and then turned towards the hatch in the middle of the ship's deck. "Wait here."

Lovina frowned as he dropped below. Shrugging it off, she turned to look over the lapping waves, peering down over the ship's rail. One of the ships was farther behind, looking more like a toy than a ship in the distance as it trailed behind them. The other was a little farther behind them, but not by much.

This time she heard Antonio as he crossed the deck, and when she turned he had a scrap of red cloth in one hand. He gestured for her to turn back around, which she did wearily. When she felt something drop on top of her head she demanded, "What are you doing, _bastardo_?"

"You will not cut your hair," he said bluntly. "But if it annoys you I can fix that. Hold still, please, Lovi."

Lovina considered wiggling, because he'd called her Lovi, but he had said please. Considering she was told constantly to use it herself, no one ever really directed it at her. Besides, she was getting irritatingly used to the nickname. It was certainly better than the ones she'd known people had called her behind her back. Her only complaint then was that they hadn't been very creative.

Antonio wrapped one edge of the cloth just above her forehead, bringing two corners of what appeared to be a triangular cloth around at the base of her scalp, tying them together at the back of her neck. Then he stepped back and said, "There. Better, _s__ì_?"

Lovina reached up to carefully feel around his work, curious. The irritating flyaway's were gone, at least. She soon found he had tied the cloth over her head like a handkerchief, keeping her hair back and her flyaway's down. "Not bad," she admitted grudgingly. Then she realized something. "Hey, where'd my ribbon go?"

"I'm keeping it," said Antonio simply, smiling cheerfully as he stood beside her.

"Why?" grouched Lovina.

"Because."

"That's not an answer, _bastardo_."

Antonio shrugged, but didn't say anything else.

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><p>Lovina poked around the kitchen when the sun reached its noon point. She moved all the food and anything cooking related to the kitchen, and took stock of what she had. Mostly it was things like dried meat, hardtack, bread, cheese, plus a barrel of apples. There were a few bags of flour and a bag of sugar as well, but she set those aside for later. She could make more when what they already had ran out.<p>

She was wondering if she should try to make a sort of stew, both for the sake of variety and to make the food go a bit farther, when the door creaked open behind her. Not turning around she asked, "What do you want, _bastardo_?"

"I ain't the captain, wench."

Lovina whirled around, facing the crewman. This one she recognized, the man who had captured her in the first place. He had a very unpleasant grin on his face, made even more so for the few green teeth that had yet to fall out of his mouth.

Propping her fists on her hips, Lovina decided to pretend she wasn't unsettled by him cornering her in the kitchen. "What the hell do you want?"

"I want what was supposed to be mine, before that damn captain took you away from me."

Lovina took a step back as he advanced. "Stay away from me."

Grange ignored this, but it wasn't until he grabbed her shoulders Lovina panicked. She opened her mouth a _screamed_, feeling a faint sense of gratification when it came out loud and piercing. As she did it, she drove her knee up as hard as she could and slammed her head forward.

Something cracked, and a wheezing whistle escaped Grange's mouth. Lovina continued to scream as he fell into the counter, clutching his family jewels with one hand and his bleeding nose with the other. It only lasted for a moment, and even as he crashed into the wood surface he was reaching for her with his blood-covered hand.

Lovina bolted for the door, only to crash into Antonio as he threw the door open. She stared up at him, wide eyed as he grabbed her shoulders. She felt a tingle of icy fear dart down her spine when she saw the look on his face, but then noticed it wasn't directed at her this time. It was directed at the man stumbling after her, face contorted in anger.

"I said no one was to touch her," he said coolly. As he said it, he put an arm around Lovina's shoulders, pulling her behind him.

Lovina peeked around him as Grange said, "I brought her in, she was my take. If you're going to keep her for yourself- _BANG!_

Lovina squeaked, clapping her hands over her ears as the crack of a pistol rang through the small room. When she peered back around Antonio, she saw Grange fall to the floor, blood pouring from a wound in his chest, where she knew his heart to be. Her mouth fell open slightly, and she stared up at Antonio as he coolly holstered the pistol.

By this time several members of the crew had gathered in the hall behind them. Antonio grabbed Lovina by the wrist, pulling her out. "Dispose of that," he ordered as they parted to let him pass.

Lovina couldn't find her voice to protest as she was pulled along, back up on deck and into the cabin. Once inside Antonio shoved the bar down and yanked her into his arms, holding her tight. Lovina went ridged, but felt the tension slowly melted out of her. She didn't wiggle or swear, just buried her face in his coat and closed her eyes. She'd never admit it, but Grange had scared her, scared her bad.

"Oh Lovi," murmured the pirate after a long minute. "I heard you scream. What did he do?"

"Nothing," mumbled Lovina.

Antonio loosened his grip enough to reach down and grip her chin, lifting her face. "Lovina, if he did anything to you-

"He didn't!" protested Lovina. "He grabbed me, I screamed, kneed him in the balls and head butted his damned ugly face. That's it. The bastard hurt a hell of a lot more than me when you found us."

Antonio seemed to relax a little. "But you were still scared."

"Was not," grumbled Lovina, looking away.

"It's okay to be scared, Lovi."

Lovina wanted to swear at him, but her eyes were starting to burn, so was her nose. She buried her face in his chest, hoping he wouldn't notice. If he did he didn't let on, holding her with one hand and stroking her hair with the other.

Of all the things she hated doing, crying was at the top of that list. Why was she so scared, anyway? She'd been in a much more compromising position that first night. Why did Grange getting close scare her so much more than Antonio ever had?

_ Damn this bastard is confusing,_ thought Lovina miserably. _Why can't he be like everyone else?_

She ignored the voice in the back of her mind that wondered if that was such a bad thing.

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><p><strong>Sei un bastardo stupido- you're a stupid bastard<strong>

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shout out to** **Hintori-hime, Vintage Sherry, Rani-Girl! **

**Be warned, it might be a little while before I can update. (By 'while' I mean about a week, maybe a little longer.) That doesn't mean I won't be shooting for sooner :)  
><strong>

**Enjoy!**

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><p>The next day, the crew gave Lovina a wide birth, which she was very glad of. Though she did marvel at the fact that it seemed to take Antonio killing one of them off before they listened to a new rule. Was that due to all the rum they seemed to drink or were they naturally that stupid? She'd honestly considered asking, but thought better of it.<p>

Antonio still let her wander the ship as she pleased, though she found herself in the kitchen or at the rail most of the time. She made a cauldron of stew for lunch, which the crew seemed to greatly appreciate. Considering everyone and their mother had insisted nobles shouldn't cook, the crew certainly gobbled down her food enthusiastically enough.

It was mid afternoon when Antonio joined her at the starboard rail, standing quietly behind her. This made her uneasy, so she demanded, "What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Then why are you standing there?"

"Your hair is very pretty, Lovi."

Lovina swung around. As she did, she felt something pull her hair, and when she faced Antonio one hand was still extended. He tilted his head, smiling in that irritatingly cheerful way.

"Don't touch my hair, bastard," she protested. "It's creepy."

"Sorry," shrugged the pirate, not sounding at all apologetic. He turned his gaze back to the sea, one hand resting lazily on the hilt of his sword.

Lovina eyed him, and slowly turned back around. Folding her arms across her chest, she asked, "Would you care to explain why you're keeping me? What am I, some pet?" She was hardly about to complain about him not really doing anything to her, but she honestly didn't know why he'd bothered keeping her.

"No, not really. I did not intend for you to get captured, but I'm not complaining, _señorita_. For now you will sail with us. I would appreciate it if you would keep your distance from the crew and remain on the ship while we are at port. I'm afraid once you leave my ship I can't protect you."

"For now?"

"For now. I've found that the future is as changeable as the weather. One day it's clear, and the next it's a storm, a ship-sinker." He moved to stand beside her, pointing up at the puffy clouds scattered across the sky. "See, Lovi? A few clouds, and there's no storm, at least not for a few days. Long enough for us to reach port. But if it's clear...

"A storm's on its way," said Lovina grimly. "_Nonno_ told us about that."

"_S__ì_, it is the same way in more than just sailing. If it looks perfect, it's about to get very bad."

"Just how long have you been out here?"

"With this ship? Mmm, five years, I think. Before that I sailed with my father."

Lovina glanced at him sharply. "So being a pirate runs in the family?"

"No. My father was a merchant. After my mother died I sailed with him. But if you want to know more, wait until tonight," he said, turning to smile down at her. "And I want to hear good parts about Lovi, not bad things. I doubt you would have protested so much when we brought you on board if you weren't happy where you were."

She glared at him as he walked away, absently rubbing her arms. Was it her, or was the wind getting colder the longer she was on deck?

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><p>By this point Lovina was grudgingly used to their sleeping arrangement. She was wandering around the cabin, holding a lantern with one hand and scanning the line of books with the other when Antonio came in. She ignored him, as she usually did, and selected a book labeled, <em>"Carte Nautiche<em>._"_

"Nautical maps," muttered Lovina, tugging it from the shelf.

"Put that one back, Lovi."

Ignoring him, she set it and the lantern down on the desk. "It's just maps, bastard."

"Lovina, I said put it back."

The fact he actually used her full name made her look up. Lovina froze when she saw the pirate staring at her, face grim. Straightening from her bent position over the desk, she asked, "What's wrong with this one?"

"That doesn't matter, _señorita_. Now put it back on the shelf."

Lovina was about to argue, but decided against it. She gave Antonio a dirty look, but hefted the heavy tomb and shoved it back into place on the shelf. "There, happy?"

"_S__ì_. Now come to bed, Lovi. I have something for you."

In a heartbeat Lovina grabbed the lantern, ready to use it as a weapon. "No way, _bastardo!_"

Antonio chuckled, removing his hat and tossing it onto a chest. "No, _señorita_, nothing disreputable. You're a lady, are you not? I thought you might appreciate this. It's amazing all the little nick-knacks that appear when my men just grab any pretty box that catches their eye."

He removed something from his pocket, setting it on the bed before shrugging off the coat. Tossing it onto the chest after the hat, he plopped down to wrestle off his boots. "Come now, I remember all the squawking and fussing about what the wind does to long hair."

Lovina eyed the hairbrush, half interested half wary. It looked similar to the ones she'd had back in her room, stiff horsehair bristles with an elegant silver handle. She'd been trying to keep the worst of the knots out, finger combing her hair whenever she got bored, but it was hardly the same.

As she slowly lowered the lantern back down onto the table she asked, "Why did you bring me that?"

Antonio shrugged, tossing his boots next to the chest and getting to his feet. "It's my understanding that when attempting to court a lady, presents are often in order. Considering how much I see you fussing with your hair, _señorita_, I thought this might be useful."

Lovina hesitated, and took a careful step closer. Antonio perched on the side of the bed and patted the blankets next to him, eyes twinkling.

"I don't bite, Lovi. Well, not if you don't want me to."

When she quickly retraced her step, he sighed. "I want to play a game, Lovi. I answer a question, and then you do the same for me. The game ends when we don't answer a question."

"Why the hell would I want to play a game like that?"

"You're curious, Lovi. I've seen you sneaking around the take. You're lucky none of the crew has noticed yet."

Lovina bristled, but her eyes fell again to the brush. Okay, so she _was_ curious. It occurred to her that this might be what that old saying referred to, curiosity killing the cat. And her hair was a rats nest now no matter what she did.

Slowly, reluctantly, she came around to the other side of the bed, climbing onto it. She sat cross-legged at the beds foot, leaning across to snatch up the brush. As she started untying the cloth that still held her hair down, she asked, "If your father was a merchant, why are you a pirate?"

Antonio chuckled. "It's not that simple, Lovi."

"That's my question, bastard," she said, starting on her hair. She started working her way up from the ends, grimacing as the brush almost got stuck on the first pass through just a few inches of hair.

"If I answer this question, you have to tell me about your father, Lovi."

Lovina kept a straight face, glad brushing her hair gave her something to focus on. "Fine."

"My father captained a ship that helped to transport gold for Spain. He would be gone for much of the year, sailing between Spain and the new world. He was an honest man with an honest trade. Unfortunately he was too good at it. The rumors are right you know, England's queen knows full well what the pirates are doing. They're taking her coin to do it. It was the men hired by that _perra_ who killed my father. They attacked his ships during the night, killed every crewman, including him."

Antonio paused for a moment, picking up her discarded head cloth as he took a deep breath. As he fingered the red silk he continued, "The captain who did it spared me, if you could call it that. Even when I lied, told him I was ten years old instead of seven. Said I was too young to kill but old enough to work. _Hijo de perra_ kept me as a cabin boy for the next five years. I waited, I watched, and one night when we docked in Tortuga I left." Nodding to the sword belt on the chest he added, "Slit his throat with his own sword first, though. Don't stop, Lovi."

Lovina had stopped brushing at the last sentence, momentarily frozen. Was he the nice Antonio or the mean one? He sounded like the nice one, but she'd never heard him swear before. Swallowing tightly, she continued brushing.

"I barrowed some of the last take and bargained my way onto a ship leaving the same night. It's not as hard to find a ship as you might think. Before she was the _Delfín_ _Rojo,_ she was the _Moon Darter_, a British smuggling ship. Find a few mercenaries, take the ship, and then give the crew a choice. They can join, take their chances with the sea, or die. You'd be surprised how many took the first one. It's more than my father ever got."

Laying down the cloth and smoothing it out, he smiled at Lovina. "I know it's not as exciting as the rumors, but it's the truth. Now, tell me of your father."

Lovina focused very hard on brushing out each and every tangle. "He didn't leave me with any stories. I never knew him. He left before my mother could even tell him she was pregnant."

Antonio frowned, and for a moment she was afraid he might get angry. She was surprised when he said, "I'm sorry, Lovi."

She shrugged. "Feh, his loss. The _bastardo_ left us, he was probably a bum anyway."

"What of your mother?"

Lovina eyed him. This was the most information she'd ever been able to get out of him, and she saw potential in playing his game. "If I tell you, will you return the favor?"

Antonio smiled. "Of course, Lovi."

"Our mother died when we were eight. She was pretty, nice, everybody liked her. _Nonno_ says we both look like her. He brought us to Port Diego from Italy after that so he could raise us."

The pirate tilted his head slightly. "We? Ah, yes, you have a sister, _s__ì_?"

"Yes, Feliciana. We're twins. Does that count as an extra question?"

Antonio chuckled. "Very well, Lovi." Then he sobered, continuing, "I don't remember much of my mother. I was four when she died. I remember she was beautiful, and she could sing. _Padre_ used to say the birds would go silent so they could listen."

Lovina wasn't sure what she could say to that. She remembered her mother, but they were mostly flashes, memories scattered here and there. While Feliciana had been easier to handle, her mother hadn't neglected Lovina for it. Rather, after multiple failures, she discovered her daughter had a knack for gardening. Add to that her love of this new food called tomatoes, and you had a happy Lovina. Some of the best memories of her mother were when they were working the garden together.

"What is your second question, Lovi?"

"Oh, um...are you an only child?" Curse it, she should have thought this through! Now as her chance, what sort of question should she ask him?

"_S__ì_." He hummed thoughtfully, and then asked, "Tell me, Lovi, did I steal you away from a suitor?"

"What? No," snapped Lovina. Just because _Nonno_ had a list he was working through and suitors came by almost daily didn't mean she was actually courting any of them. Most turned right back around and left within the same day. Her current record was twenty minutes.

"Good. Not that it would matter, but it helps to know who wants my head."

"Besides the entire British Navy and Spanish Armada?" she asked, turning to look at him.

Antonio chuckled. "The British Navy, yes. I make a point to sink as many of their ships as I can, and I'm afraid they don't like it. But I have agreement with Spain, of sorts. I stay away from their ships, and they turn a blind eye."

"Who else have you pissed off?"

"I take it you mean the ones that are still alive?"

Trying not to shudder as she turned away again, Lovina answered, "_S__ì._"

"I believe the only one who still lives is Arthur Kirkland. I'm the reason he's a pirate actually. I sunk one too many ships that were under his command, and the Navy didn't do anything about it. He went rouge so he could get my head, but it's been a few years. I think he likes being a pirate."

He actually sounded as though he was _enjoying_ this. Lovina ran her fingers through her hair, making sure she'd finally gotten all the tangles out. How was it the only enemy he had was a British pirate?

"Do you get along with your sister?"

"_S__ì_, why?"

"Curiosity, Lovi. Your turn."

Lovina started to reach for the head cloth, but Antonio snatched it out of reach. "Put it on in the morning, Lovi. Leave it down tonight."

She was about to argue, but thought better of it. Instead she snapped, "Why didn't you want me looking at that damn book?"

Antonio folded up the cloth and climbed off the bed. He tossed it onto the desk, and then went around extinguishing the lanterns Lovina had lit. "The game is over, Lovi."

"That's not fair! I answered all of your damn questions."

"I know. We will play again tomorrow night. Your hair looks pretty, Lovi."

He snuffed the last light, Lovina fuming silently.

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><p>The next day, Lovina woke yet again to an empty bed and a tray of food on the desk. This morning, though, she ignored it. Rather she slipped from the bed, tugged on her boots, and as she tied the cloth back over her hair she made her way to the bookcase. Giving the door a quick glance, she tugged the navigation text down and plunked it down on the desk.<p>

Flipping it open, she found records of tides and currents in addition to maps. That was all it was, charted maps of so many places she couldn't name more than a few. It was all in Spanish, of course, but she could read bits and pieces of it.

Lovina had flipped through about a third of it and was about to shove it back into the bookcase when she came to a lump. Frowning, she flipped the next dozen or so pages and found a folded piece of paper tucked firmly against the books spine. Curious, she pulled it out of the book and carefully unfolded it.

The paper was hardly new, but it was parchment, animal skin, and very durable. When laid out it was two feet by two feet, and depicted most of the known world. She recognized that much easily enough, but what she didn't understand was the writing that crowded the boarders, scribbled in places all over the map along with additional markings.

Lovina was just starting to frown at it, trying to read the scribbled writing, when a cold voice spoke. "I told you not to touch it."

Her head snapped up in time to see Antonio shove the bar into place, and then stride briskly towards her. Lovina scrambled back from the table, trying to keep some distance between herself and Antonio. "I'm sorry!" she blurted. "I just wanted to know what it was."

Antonio didn't stop, his face hard. "That was a mistake, Lovi."

"It's just a map!"

"I told you to leave that book alone, Lovi. Why did you-

"If you would just tell me what-

_"Silencio!"_

Lovina clamped her mouth shut.

Antonio paused a few strides away, but only when her back hit the window. "I've killed men for less, Lovina. You know that."

Not entirely sure if the previous order still stood, Lovina kept her mouth shut. Besides, knowing her tongue she'd say something to make the situation ten times worse. Would he really kill her?

The pirate started walking forward again, and Lovina went ridged. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a blade or a pistol shot. Her eyes flew wide open a minute later as Antonio did something far different.

Lovina squeaked as she was yanked into his arms, held tight to his chest. "_Niña tonta,_ have you learned nothing?" he murmured. "You are precious to me, Lovi. I couldn't kill you even if I wished to. But you really shouldn't go poking around where I tell you not to. Forget the map, and listen next time, _s__ì_? Don't forget, I remember where to find your _hermana_."

He released her, moving away, but Lovina was still frozen. She watched as he folded up the map, replaced it in the book and stowed it back in the book case. As happy as she was he hadn't killed her, she wasn't about to forget he'd threatened Feliciana.

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><p><strong>Padre- father<strong>

**Perra- bitch**

**Hijo de perra- son of a bitch**

**Silencio- silence**

**Niña tonta- silly girl**

**Hermana- sister**

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Shout out to Rani-Girl and Angy!**

**To answer the question posed by a guest, I get my non-English words and phrases from Google Translate. It can be a bit sketchy, so if something doesn't come out right I apologize.**

**To those who are native speakers or are fluent in a language that I use occasionally: If I get something wrong please point it out! I'm OCD about accuracy, and while I find it embarrassing I would rather have it pointed out so I can fix it. If not for my sake do it for the sake of the language. It does not deserve to be butchered, intentionally or otherwise.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Lovina kept her distance from Antonio after that morning, going so far as to walk from one side of the ship to the other if he so much as wandered in her direction. He seemed to have caught on, and was 'chasing' her around the deck when the lookout leaned down from his perch.<p>

"Captain Carriedo! There's a ship to our starboard forward!"

"Thank you, Pablo," called Antonio, stopping to look up. "Do you recognize it yet?"

"No, sir."

"Tell me when you do."

"Aye, sir!"

Lovina peered in the general direction of the ship, as the recent side she'd retreated to was starboard, but she was able to make out a vague shape, little more. Antonio joined her, but this time she decided to stay put, folding her arms and glaring at him. If he noticed he didn't let on.

It was some time before the lookout shouted, "She's flying Gilbert's flag, sir!"

Lovina frowned. Who was Gilbert?

Whoever he was, it made Antonio happy. A wide smile spread across his face, and he laughed. "Ah, good! It's been months since we've seen them."

The crew seemed to be taking this as a good sign too, but Lovina was getting more annoyed by the minute. She really, really hated being left in the dark. When Antonio turned to leave, she grabbed a fistful of his sleeve. "Who the hell is Gilbert?"

He turned, smiling at her. "He is a very good friend of mine. Now let go of me, Lovi, I need to hide the rum."

Lovina frowned, reluctantly obeying, though she followed him as he went below decks. "You have friends? And why are you hiding the rum? You don't drink it."

"No, but my crew does, and it appeases them. Gilbert goes through it like you wouldn't believe, and as much as I like him I'd rather not let him drink a week's worth of rum in one hour."

Rolling her eyes, Lovina said, "Your only friend is a drunk. Delightful."

"Gilbert is not a drunk," chided Antonio, making his way to the bottom deck where the stores were. "He actually has a very high tolerance. And he's not my only friend, Lovi. Believe it or not people usually like me when I'm not on a raid."

Lovina snorted, something she'd learned and used to great effect to irritate her nurses over the years. The protests of "it's not ladylike!" had just urged her to use it more. "I doubt that, _bastardo_."

As Antonio opened a false bottom, rolling barrels of rum into it, he chuckled. "It's true, Lovi."

Two of the crew had followed them down, helping him to stow away the rum. One of them chipped in, "Sure is, miss. The captain's damn popular with the ladies. When we dock in Tortuga just ask any o' them from the br-

"Julio," interrupted Antonio in an eerily cheerful tone. "Remember that new rule about a civil tongue?"

Julio clamped his mouth shut. Lovina scowled at his captain. "No, I don't mind. What was he about to say? Brothels?"

Antonio shut the false bottom, and gave the two crewmen a look that sent them scurrying. Once they were gone Antonio sighed. "They said I was popular, not that made use of their services, Lovi. Besides, that was before I knew you."

Lovina snorted, stomping towards the stairs. "Men. You're acting like I care, you stupid bastard. Why should I? I'm only here because I have to be." She slammed the door in his face, but he caught it, keeping pace with her as she climbed the steps. Okay, so there was a small grain of hurt very, very far down, but she quickly squashed it. He was a pirate. Murder and rum and sex were in the job description.

"Come now, Lovi," chided Antonio. "You're not warming up to me yet?"

"What is there to warm up _to?"_ she demanded, stomping out onto the deck and making for the cabin.

Antonio waited until they were off the main deck to protest, "I thought the game would help."

Lovina slammed the door, dropping the bar moments before Antonio tried to open it.

"I thought you said you didn't care, Lovi," he called through it.

"I don't! I just don't want that drunk bastard anywhere near me!" she shouted back.

"I told you he's not a drunk," protested Antonio.

"Go away!"

She was genuinely surprised when he did. Lovina huffed, glowering around the room. After a moment her eyes fell on the bookcase.

Hesitating, looking back to make sure the door was securely bared in place, Lovina slowly made her way over to the bookcase. She tugged the book of nautical maps down, laying it down on the desk again. Opening it back to the lumped page, she tugged the map out again.

Lovina laid it out over the desk, smoothing out the creases. Giving one last glance at the door, she focused on the map. The scribbles seemed to mostly be in Spanish, but then she could speak it as well as she could English.

At first even once she did decipher a few sentences she wasn't sure of what she was reading. 'Queen's Dogs Favorite Route', 'Unpredictable Storms', 'High Reefs, Tide Won't Matter'? They were clipped sentences, usually warnings. There were a few good notes though, too. 'Smooth Winter Sailing', 'Friendly Indians, Trade Rum', and 'Best Wine Trade'. On the back there was even more, but she only recognized a few of the names listed as ports or trading posts. Each name had a similar scribbling, a warning or a reminder of how best to deal with the people.

Lovina was scanning over it, doing less reading as she searched for an indicator of its importance. She could see why Antonio would be protective of it, any sailor worth his salt would kill to get a map like this, but he'd been outright furious. Why?

At the very bottom of the back, she got her answer. Crammed in as though it was squeezed in the tiny space as an afterthought, was a name. 'Alejandro Carriedo'.

Lovina stared at the name. She didn't have to ask who it was. It would certainly explain why Antonio had gotten so upset. This map was precious to him, for more reasons than one. But why had he gotten as mad as he had?

It occurred to Lovina that as much as he seemed to like her, he also realized the feeling wasn't mutual. But did he really think she'd do something to it? Well, she might _take_ it, as a bargaining chip. Not now though, not _yet_. Maybe when they made port in Tortuga...

Her head snapped up as she heard the crew calling out, Antonio's voice among them. She stiffened, and then looked out the back window to find they were pulling alongside another ship. Gilbert's ship.

Lovina quickly folded up the map, replacing it as exactly as she could before going to the door. Whatever she'd told Antonio, she was curious. And if he was a drunk maybe she could find a way off the _Delfín_ _Rojo_...

Heaving the bar out of the brackets and against the wall, Lovina pulled open the door and stepped out onto the deck. Most of the crew had gathered, and as she watched both crews threw ropes across the gap, pulling the ships closer together. Both were about the same height, and a plank was laid across them.

The first to come across was a tall man in a long, blue coat and a neat white linen shirt. He looked as though he spent a bit more money on his clothes than Antonio, but within reason. While what he had was nice, it also looked as though it'd stand the harsh conditions at sea. A wide brimmed hat as blue as his coat with a white fluffy feather was perched on his head.

Lovina was surprised when a German accented voice reached her ears. "Hey, Toni! Long time no see, _mien_ _freund_."

Antonio laughed, clasping the mans shoulder. "It's good to see you too, _amigo_. Three months, I think? How have you been?"

"When will you learn? I'm awesome!" declared Gilbert, laughing. Lovina stiffened. "The Awesome me is doing well. Spent the last two weeks in Tortuga with gold to spare."

Lovina's jaw dropped. "What did you just call yourself?" No, this couldn't be, not him.

Everyone, even most of the crew turned to look at her. Antonio looked a little surprised, but his smile didn't waver. "Ah, Lovi, this is Gilbert. Gilbert, this is Lady Lovina Vargas."

Lovina shook her head. "No, he's not." Stabbing a finger at him she said, "You bastard! You're Lord Gilbert Belishmet! Your damn brother is trying to marry my sister!"

Gilbert was exactly what Ludwig had described, an albino who referred to himself as the 'Awesome me'. All this time she'd thought he'd been joking. Well, if she couldn't kill Ludwig, she could settle for his brother.

Meanwhile the albino looked surprised. "West? He's getting married? When? Damn, that was fast." Scratching his head he muttered, "How old is he now, anyway? Nineteen?"

"Eighteen," growled Lovina, stomping forward. The crew parted, though she was too busy fuming to think much of it. "He's eighteen and he's trying to marry my baby sister!"

"I thought you said you were twins," pointed out Antonio.

"Don't change the subject," snapped Lovina.

Gilbert grinned, and gave the strangest laugh Lovina had ever heard. "Well, find yourself a feisty one, did you Toni? She's cute."

Lovina gave him her best glower, the one she reserved for snooty ladies and scolding nurses. His grin only widened, but it wavered when Antonio chuckled. It wasn't his usual nice chuckle.

"Gil, as happy as I am to see you, if you call Lovi cute again I'm throwing you overboard."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Rather he asked, "So, headed for Tortuga?"

"_S__ì_. I take it you were just leaving?"

The albino nodded. "_Ja,_ but I would recommend you take the long way there, _mein_ _freund_."

Antonio raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Why?"

"Captain Eyebrows got there two days ago. Why do you think I left? I might be awesome, but I like my ship in one piece."

Lovina frowned. The name was new to her, but Antonio stiffened. "Is that so?"

Gilbert nodded. "I heard he was just picking up supplies, not planning on staying, but I was getting bored anyway."

"Who's Captain Eyebrows?"

"The unawesome Arthur Kirkland," answered Gilbert before Antonio could speak. Grinning at her, he pointed to his own eyebrows and said, "Trust me, _fräulein_. You'll know why when you see him."

"She won't be, Gilbert," said Antonio coolly.

The albino shrugged. "If you say so. By the way, heard from Franny lately?"

It was an hour before the ships finally separated. Gilbert was a chatty fellow, and while Lovina found it irritating she did learn a good bit. Most of the talk was nonsense, at least to her, but if nothing else she now had a supply of questions if Antonio wanted to play that game again.

Sure enough, as Lovina was lighting a few lanterns that night Antonio shed his gear and retrieved the brush. He sat patiently on the bed, legs crossed as he waited. Lovina gave him a dirty look, but took off the head cloth and tossed it on the desk.

"You were serious?" grumbled Lovina, climbing next to him.

Rather than answer, he handed her the brush. She took it, grumbling as she started working on her hair. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the night before, but though she was reluctant to admit it the familiar activity was almost soothing.

"What is your favorite color?"

Lovina frowned. "What kind of a question is that?"

"It's my question. Are you quitting already?"

She huffed. "Red."

"Why?"

"That's a new question, bastard."

Antonio chuckled. "Take your turn, then."

"Who is Francis?"

Francis, aka Franny, was apparently a mutual friend. She was under the impression he had been a pirate once himself, but now he apparently had settled down in Paris with a wife that 'kept him in line', according to Gilbert. The Joan they spoke of sounded quite fierce, Lovina wouldn't have minded meeting that one, but that could wait. What she was curious about was the pirate turned tailor.

"He is an old friend of mine."

"That's it?"

"You're going to have to be more specific, Lovi," chuckled Antonio. "Now why do you like red?"

Lovina huffed, cheeks turning pink. "It's the color of tomatoes," she grumbled.

"That's cute, Lovi," the pirate chuckled. "There's a man I've found on Tortuga that sells them. If you're good and don't try to run I'll buy you a big barrel of them."

"Feh," grumped Lovina, making a face. Even so, her mouth watered. Did he mean that? An entire barrel? Forcing herself not to think about it, she demanded, "How is it you, the albino bastard, and Franny-pants are friends?"

Antonio chuckled when she borrowed Gilbert's nickname of choice for the Frenchman. "We all ended up on Tortuga and needed to leave very quickly. It was only a matter of time before the crew found out what I had done to their captain. Gilbert had bargained his way onto a ship to get out of his home port, but apparently the idea of being a cabin boy for the next five years was 'unawesome'. Francis had flirted with the wrong lady and was on the run from her fathers' hired goons. Between the three of us we had enough to get a ship and a crew on short notice. Unfortunately having three captains on one ship didn't work for very long. After a few raids Gilbert bought a ship, and they helped me get the_Delfín_ _Rojo_. Francis sailed our first ship until Kirkland sank it a few years ago."

Lovina took a minute to absorb that. It was a bit bizarre, then again so was almost everything else about her current situation. Of course considering what 'normal' was, she wasn't in any position to complain.

"What is your favorite flower?"

Frowning, she asked, "Why the hell do you want to know that?"

"No, you don't ask a question, you answer," he chuckled.

She huffed again, folding her arms. "Carnations."

"Why?"

"That's a different question," she informed him, giving him a dirty look as she set down the brush. "My turn. I get why Eyebrows hates you, but why do you hate him?"

Antonio smiled wryly. "He's been after me long enough to be a constant nuisance, and he's turned several good ports against me. He already knew Francis and they had a distaste for each other, but I still didn't appreciate him sinking his ship. Unfortunately he's one of those irritatingly competent captains, which makes him a dangerous nuisance. Now why do you like carnations?"

"Because they're usually some shade of red and aren't boring like roses."

"Elaborate."

"That's a different question."

"No, it's not. I'm asking you to expand on the current question," he chuckled.

"With roses if you want to make them interesting you have to change the color. Carnations can be plain, or have spots, or stripes, or both."

Antonio hummed thoughtfully, apparently accepting this answer.

"Why is it you're okay with the crew swilling rum, but you hide it from Gilbert?"

The pirate grimaced. "Because he doesn't stop until it runs dry or he passes out. Usually it's the first one. Rum isn't as expensive as wine, but it isn't cheap either, Lovi. That reminds me, you were very quiet after you locked yourself in here. What kept you occupied for an entire hour?"

Lovina blinked, a little surprised. Had the map really taken her an hour to work through? Thinking quickly she said, "Reading one of your books. I came out when I got bored. Why did Gilbert run away?"

"He was tired of his grandfather always pressuring him to be like Ludwig. Which book did you read?"

"That red one on the end. Was he serious about trying to make the damn wedding?"

"Of course. He might not have gotten along well with his grandfather but he always cared for Ludwig. What did you think of it?"

Lovina shrugged. "Feh, boring. Skimmed most of it. He'd make a scene before the ceremony, right? If he messes things up on Feli's big day it's going to be my fault."

"Eh, I wouldn't gamble on it," said Antonio. Lovina groaned, but stiffened when he asked idly, "Are you sure it wasn't to your liking, Lovi?"

"No, why?"

She held perfectly still as he leaned in, lips a hairs breadth from her ear. "Because, Lovi, that red book on the end is an almanac written in German. Gilbert gave it to me as a joke. Tell me, how is it you didn't understand a word he said when he switched to German, yet you were able to read _that?"_

"I-I can't speak it, only read it, bastard."

"Stop lying to me, Lovi. What were you doing?" he asked, an obvious warning in his voice.

"I was looking for more weapons-

"Lovina."

The word wasn't so much spoken was it was growled. Lovina flinched despite herself. Bracing for a blow, she said quietly, "I read your fathers map."

Rather than yell or hit her, as she'd expected, he leaned back. In a cool voice he ordered, "Put out the lights, Lovi. The game is over for tonight."

She quickly slipped off the bed, eager to put distance between them. She put out the lanterns slowly, but when she peeked over at the bed Antonio sat patiently, face calm. He didn't look nearly as mad as she'd feared he would be, but she was still reluctant to return to the bed.

As she edged back over to it he leaned back on his elbows, patting the blankets. "Come on, Lovi. Time to sleep."

Slowly, reluctantly, she obeyed. Lovina climbed back onto the bed, but curled up on the far edge, back to Antonio. She heard him sigh, and went ridged as he pulled her into the middle of the bed. The pirate settled down at her back, one arm around her waist.

"You must never tell anyone of that map, Lovi," he told her, his voice soft. "Besides my memories, it is all I have left of my father. If people knew I had a map with the sea's secrets, they would want it. It is more precious to me than any gold. I'm not happy you disobeyed me, but I won't punish you for it. All I ask is that you keep it secret."

Lovina said nothing, staring at the shadowed walls long after Antonio had fallen asleep, his arm going limp around her waist. Her mind churned even as she found herself nodding off, thoughts flying to and fro. She still wanted to get off the ship as soon as she could, but the idea of seeing the pirate tried and convicted didn't hold the appeal it once had. Yes she still knew what he was, a pirate, a thief and a murderer, yet the longer she stayed here, the more that monster she'd heard tale of faded. How was she supposed to help Nonno catch and hang someone who she knew to be more human than most of the nobles she'd grown up around?

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><p><strong>Mein freund- my friend<strong>

**Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Shout out to Rani-Girl, Hinotori-hime, Mizushi-Hime, and 1! All these reviews are awesome! I'm feelin' the love! :)  
><strong>

**I know this is short, but it's the best I can do at the moment with my schedule. I promise once things slow down you'll get a better update. On the upside, it'll included the long awaited arrival in Tortuga! :)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Lovina had spent the better part of her life near or in a port city. <em>Nonno<em> had taken them sailing numerous times, and on the few occasions when he had to go away he'd taken the twins with him. Lovina was no sailor, but she knew the ins and outs. She knew port from starboard, how to tack and navigate, she even knew how to tie a few impressive knots.

This also meant she knew when a ship changed course or speed. She had kept one eye on their course after Gilbert had left, and the day after. By mid-afternoon the next day, they were still going as fast as the wind could take them, their heading still Tortuga. Initially Lovina had not wanted to go there on principle, but know that she knew the infamous Arthur Kirkland was docked there she wanted to be there even less. Not to mention the pirate who had taken her captive had a rivalry with the man. All in all, aside from the slightest chance she could escape, there was no reason at all for her to want to be in Tortuga. In her opinion, Antonio should at least be slowing down a bit, give Kirkland time to get out of port if what Gilbert had said about his intended short stay to be true.

Yet over a day after Antonio had been warned about Kirkland, and not only were they still on course, but they were plowing through the waves as swiftly as ever.

The sun was drawing near to the horizon when Lovina stomped up to the captain, who was standing at the helm, checking their course. Propping her fists on her hips, she demanded, "Why the hell are we still on course?"

Antonio didn't look up from the map. "Because our heading is still Tortuga."

"Do we need to get there this fast?"

"I don't see why not."

"How about the fact that if you keep at it this way you'll risk catching up to Kirkland?"

Antonio pulled out a spyglass, checking the horizon. "Even if we do, there's a code on Tortuga, Lovi. No fighting in the port or in the harbor. If he wants a fight he'll have to challenge me and meet me outside the harbor. This is a peek season for raiding so I doubt he will want to waste that much time on me. The feeling is certainly mutual."

Lovina scowled at him. "How can you be so calm about this?"

The captain folded the spyglass, returning it to a coat pocket before turning to regard her. "Why are you not, Lovi? If anyone should fear meeting Kirkland it should be me."

Glowering even as she felt her ears heat, she snapped, "Because the only person who has a bigger reward for their head than you is _him._ If that happens it usually means they've done more damage and are more dangerous. It's bad enough I'm stuck on your damn ship, I'd rather not get anywhere near his."

Antonio chuckled. "Actually, as far as our pirating goes we're on equal ground. Kirkland has a bigger reward on his head because he's a traitor to the crown. He might avoid British ships and American smugglers as I do ships flying the Spanish flag, but he was once an admiral in Her Majesty's Navel, Lovi. To be a member of their military, and of that rank, and then to become a pirate is considered very rude. He has a bigger reward on his head because as irritating as I am, they hate him more."

Lovina frowned. "Why would he go through the trouble of avoiding American smugglers? The revolution ended not ten years ago."

The pirate chuckled. "It's an old trick that still works, it seems. The privateers hired by the queen to liberate ships of their cargo do not attack their own. Before they were more than a colony, the Americans flew the British flag when they smuggled goods so the privateers would leave them be. I think Kirkland is aware of it, but he can hardly stop every ship he sees flying the British flag to make sure all is as it seems."

It was a simple trick. ridiculously so. _Still, impressive, especially if it's worked this long,_ mused Lovina. "So you're still going to risk an encounter with Kirkland?"

"I wouldn't call it a risk," mused Antonio. "I believe this is what one would call a calculated gamble. I have even less reason to want to meet him now than ever, after all."

Lovina frowned. "Why?"

The pirate smiled at her. "Whenever he gets close he likes to do things that hurt me the most. Sink one of my ships for example, or steal something I would rather he left alone. Most sailors believe having a woman on board is bad luck, and he knows I don't take prisoners on a whim. No matter what you think of me, Lovi, I would rather he didn't get his hands on you."

Lovina watched him walk away, frowning. No matter how often he made it clear he cared for her to some degree, it never made any more sense to her. Why was it all the nobles within traveling distance had never thought much of her, but a pirate seemed to have fallen for her within a few minutes of meeting her?

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><p>Not one to beat around the bush, Lovina waited on the bed that night, legs crossed and arms folded, brush clutched in one hand. If need be she could use it as a weapon. Though at this point she wondered how much of one it would be.<p>

As soon as Antonio was sitting next to her, Lovina demanded, "Why the hell are you keeping me, bastard? It sounds like you have at least one port full of brothels who would love to have you. There have been plenty of other people to kidnap, ones who have fewer people to worry about them or would have a bigger random offer. Why is it _I'm_ the one that gets stuck with you?"

The pirate seemed to consider this for a long moment. When he spoke he said slowly, "I didn't bring you on board my ship, Lovi. I know what I am, I know what I do, and I know that sooner or later I am going to die. It might be in a storm, or it might be when one law or another finally catches me. I would sink my own ships before I let it be at the hand of Kirkland. If given the choice, I would have left you in Port Diego so you would not chance sharing my fate. I couldn't send you back when you were brought on board, so I kept you. Now I do not think I can let you go. That is all the answer you will get, Lovi."

Lovina was still digesting this when he asked in his normal tone, "How have you liked working in the kitchen?"

Distractedly she answered, "Fine. But I need more spices. The supply you have is pathetic."

"Then I will arrange to get some. Your turn, Lovi."

"What did you mean you don't think you can let me go?"

Antonio sighed, and left the bed.

"Hey, is it that hard to answer?" she demanded, gripping the unused brush tightly.

"I told you that was all the answer you would get," he said simply, returning to the bed. "Rest, Lovi. Tomorrow we make port in Tortuga."

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Shout out to Hinotori-hime, marbot457, Vintage Sherry, Black-Silver-White, Angy, and Rani-Girl! Loven' the reviews and enthusiasm! :D I present to all of my awesome reviewers a giant imaginary cookie of your choice!  
><strong>

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><p>Lovina woke the next morning to the ship bumping the dock. She stumbled from the bed, peering blearily through the windows as she forced herself to wake up. The sun had just cleared the horizon, and the crew was tying off the <em>Delfín<em> _Rojo_ to the dock. When she looked farther into the port, she felt her heart sink.

Tortuga looked about like what it as, a pirate haven. At this hour, the boardwalks and the few streets she could make out were mostly empty, occupied only by drunks in various stages of a hangover. Most were still out cold, but she did see some starting to mill about, holding their heads.

That said, the docks were well kept, the streets and buildings in no worse condition than those back at Port Diego. The main difference seemed to be that there was more alehouses and brothels. Lovina even made out what looked suspiciously like a bank, though she highly doubted it. Even if it was, who would use it? From what she understood most pirates spent their booty before they could do anything smart with it.

Lovina was still studying the port when the door opened behind her. Turning, she saw Antonio in the doorway, the morning light filtering around him. "_Buenos días_, Lovi," he said, smiling.

"_Buongiorno__,_" she answered automatically, and then scowled. "Why the hell are you in such a good mood? It's mornings, bastard. You're supposed to be grumpy in the mornings."

Antonio took off his hat, brushing some of the dried salt off. As the grains cascaded to the planks at his feet he answered, "The sun is bright, the air is cool, the wind died just when we got to port, and I just got word Kirkland left yesterday morning. I think I have reason to be in a good mood, Lovi." Securing the hat back on his head, he smiled and added, "Come, I will show you."

Lovina folded her arms. "You told me you weren't going to let me off the ship. Why the hell should I go up where you can rub it in my face?"

Antonio frowned. "I wasn't going to rub it in your face, Lovi. It's a beautiful day, I thought it would make you happy. Eat your breakfast and come out on deck. The crew is mostly gone, though I doubt they will be able to find much at this hour."

The pirate left, though he left the door wide open. Lovina scowled after him, though it was more of a habit than anything else. Sighing, she wandered over to the desk. She expected the usual fair of bread and cheese, though the former was mostly hardtack at this point. Her eyes lit on an unmistakable red, and she hurried over to get a better look.

Not only was the bread fresh, they were two rolls still warm from the bakers. A fresh green apple joined them, but what really caught her attention was what sat in the middle of the plate. A bright red, plump, juicy tomato. No, not one, but _two_.

Mouth watering, Lovina slowly picked it up, cupping it in her hands. Sure Antonio had mentioned a tomato seller on Tortuga, but she hadn't actually believed he'd get her any. Why would he?

Carefully setting the fruit down, she turned to the bread. She ate the rolls first, enjoying the warm fluffiness of them. They had been a staple at _Nonno's_ table, but she'd underestimated just how much she would miss them. She ate the apple next, genuinely surprised by the tartness. It truly was as fresh as it looked, then.

The tomato's Lovina saved for last. She selected one, bringing it to her face with both hands. After taking a deep sniff, she took a bite. There was an art to biting a tomato and not getting juice everywhere, one she had mastered some time ago. Now, as the flavor hit her tongue, she almost forgot to use it.

_Delizioso,_ she thought almost dreamily. While at this point any tomato would be, she had to admit they were pretty good, for a street vendor. Once she had savored the first bite, she hurriedly swallowed and took another.

Several minutes later, a laughing tone from the still open doorway said, "I'm glad you like them."

Lovina, who had been licking stray juice from her fingers, froze mid-luck. Quickly pulling her tongue back into her mouth she admitted reluctantly, "I've had worse."

Antonio just continued to smile. "I'm glad you like them. Come, the day is still beautiful."

Grudgingly, Lovina trailed him out of the cabin. She had to work on that attitude more than usual. The tomato's had put her in a good mood.

The deck was deserted when Lovina stepped out into the open. A crisp breeze brushed her face, and she grimaced slightly as the full force of port scents assaulted her nose. They were ones she was used to, but after any stent with only being able to smell the sea and an unwashed crew it could be a bit harsh initially. Fish, tar, lumber, brine, cooking meat, and of course rum. The only difference between Port Diego and Tortuga was the scent of various forms of alcohol was stronger. Sniffing, she could make out ale and brandy as well as rum. The most favored drink was only so because it was the cheapest to make and buy. Especially since smugglers still cornered that particular market. Though it seemed with all the pirates coming fresh from raids they could afford the marginally more pricy stuff.

Turning away from the town proper, Lovina looked around the harbor. It was a nice day, she had to admit, the fresh morning light painting an idealistic light over the pirate-ridden harbor. Seagulls circled overhead, barking their calls back and forth, the air itself cool and just crisp enough not to give her a chill.

"What do you think?" asked Antonio, wandering father out onto the deck.

Lovina snapped back to the present. She glanced around, locating the gangplank as she started to wander forward. The pirate's back was to her, and she'd always been very fast. If she could at least get to it before he noticed...

"Lovi," he called idly, turning around. "What are you doing?"

Lovina scowled at him. Either he was paying more attention than she thought, or she was being more obvious than she thought. "I want to get off the damn ship."

Antonio arched his eyebrows. "That was hardly a long sail, Lovi. Sometimes we go weeks without making port."

"I don't care. I want off."

"And what's to keep you from bolting the moment you have an opportunity?"

"I'm on an island, bastard. Just how far do you think I'm going to get?"

The pirate just looked at her for a moment, and then said, "I know how far you _could_ get, but I doubt you would be able to manage it. I'm keeping you on the ship as much for your own safety as to make sure you don't run off, Lovi."

Lovina stabbed a finger at the dock. "Look around, bastard. Everyone's either passed out drunk or hung over. How much trouble to you think I can get into?"

"This is the quiet part of Tortuga, Lovi," sighed Antonio. "If you don't stay willingly I'm going to have to lock you in the cabin, and I would rather not do that on such a nice day. It should be enjoyed."

Lovina gave him a dirty look, unwilling to admit she agreed with him. "I can enjoy it in town too, bastard."

"I was under the impression you didn't mind being on a ship," mused Antonio, wandering in her general direction.

"I don't, what I do mind is being cooped up while we're docked."

The pirate seemed to consider this, though it was apparent he wasn't inclined to give in.

"I still need spices, and I don't like sending an errand boy to do the shopping for _my_ kitchen," she informed him, folding her arms.

Antonio chuckled, stopping a few paces away. "I suppose. Very well. If I let you off my ship, there are going to be conditions."

Genuinely surprised but working very hard not to show it, she waited.

Holding up a finger, he began, "First, you don't go anywhere without me to company you."

Lovina grimaced. Irritating, but she was confidant she could ditch him once the crowds picked up.

Only when she'd nodded did he lift a second finger, "_Dos_, you listen to what I say. If I say let's go, we go. I say jump, you ask how high, _comprender?_"

"This only applies while we're on land, right?"

Antonio chuckled. "It seems that's as much as I am going to get, doesn't it?"

"Fine," huffed Lovina.

"_Tres_," he continued, adding a third finger, "we go straight to the market, and straight back. No side trips, I don't care what the shops have, I don't care how good the food smells."

"Why the hell would I care? I'm not going to take long enough to get hungry, and I'm not one of those prissy bitches that sees something in every window she has to have. It's irritating and impractical."

Taking her comment as agreement, he lowered his hand and nodded. _"Bueno."_ Walking over to the gangplank he said, "Let's go. Try to keep up. The market can get crowded."

_Perfect,_ thought Lovina, trailing him down to the dock_. Then it's just a matter of bargaining my way out of_ _this_ buco infernale.

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><p>Lovina soon found that her idea of crowded and Antonio's didn't match up. When they got to the market she already found herself sidestepping more than one person as she tried to keep up with him. It wasn't that she wanted to, it was just that she wanted to be strategic about her escape. If she tried and got caught he'd never let her off the ship again.<p>

Tortuga itself wrapped around a point of the main island, as did much of the harbor. She was sure that if she get away from the pirate she could keep her distance easily enough. The hard part would be bargaining her way off the island before he could find her.

The more Lovina thought about it, the less she realized she had to work with. Honestly, what _did_ she have? The boots on her feet, the clothes on her back, and the head cloth keeping her hair in place. She didn't fancy the idea of using her identity and possible reward money to bribe a captain into helping her. She had no money unless she wanted to try her hand at stealing, and she would rather take her chances with an angry Antonio before she sold herself for passage.

_I'll have to stowaway,_ she decided grimly. _Find a ship that's leaving today for a nearby port. At least if they catch me they'll be away from Tortuga, and they don't come down on girl stowaways like they do boy ones. Right?_

She was still debating on that point, and trying to form a story should they discover her prematurely when Antonio found the spice merchant he was looking for. By then a decent crowd had gathered in the market, which she was glad of. It would make it that much easier to slip away.

Lovina tried to take the chore of getting spices seriously, which was easier than she'd expected. Planned escape or no, the supply of spices on the ship were pathetic. All they had was salt and a few small cases of stale oregano that had been taken by chance several years ago.

When she'd made her selection and Antonio made arrangements for them to be brought to the ship, Lovina started scanning the crowd as subtly as possible. His back was to her as he spoke with the merchant, and the crowd had gotten even thicker while they'd stood here.

She saw her chance when a cart of fish rolled down the street. Taking a deep breath, she took a slow step back, and then another. Glancing over her shoulder, she kept one eye on Antonio, the other on the cart. As he paid the merchant, she took several quick steps backward, turning to dart in front of the cart. Not enough to make the horse balk, but enough so that it was easy to duck on the other side of the cart and keep pace with it.

When she didn't hear an immediate outcry, Lovina let out a breath. Okay, she was away from Antonio. Now she had to get back to the harbor. Preferably at a point as far away from the _Delfín_ _Rojo_ as possible.

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><p>Lovina kept pace with the fish cart for a few blocks before leaving it, trying to weave her way back to the harbor. She soon found this to be difficult, the weaving streets of Tortuga laid out with little rhyme or reason. She lost count of how many times she got turned around before she finally found the docks.<p>

When she scanned the nearby ships, Lovina was pleased to find she didn't recognize any of them. The _Delfín_ _Rojo_ was nowhere in sight. Okay, so maybe spending the last hour making what had originally been a ten minute walk wasn't without benefits.

The sun was getting higher in the sky, bringing heat with it. More crewmen were up and about, and she didn't see a face among them that didn't look crabby. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to find anything that looked like she could get onto easily. What's more, they all seemed to be docked solely so their crew could enjoy the local drink and women. This was a port town, for pities sake. Not everything could come in on pirate ships, could it? There had to be the occasional cargo vessel, no matter how disreputable. Considering how much rum all these pirates had to go through, one would think a shipment a week was needed at minimum. Though admittedly some of the ships did look like they could haul quite a bit of cargo...

Lovina was still weaving her way along the docks, wondering if she should lower her standards to a rum transport ship when a familiar voice behind her asked, "How did you get off the ship?"

She swung around, heart sinking as she found herself face to face with Juan, Antonio's helmsmen of choice. He'd been picked up in a Spanish port when he'd tried to pick the pirate's pocket. Apparently steady hands were handy in pick pocketing and manning the ship's wheel. (Okay, so she got board and he was naturally chatty. It was better than staring at the water or cleaning the spotless kitchen.)

Thinking quickly, she propped her fists on her hips and told him tartly, "Because your boss let me, _idiota_."

Juan obviously wasn't buying it. "He told us if any of us found you off the ship, we were to bring you right back. He said if we didn't we'd lose an ear. _El capitán_ doesn't make threats he doesn't mean."

"He changed his mind," argued Lovina, trying to ignore that last bit. She knew it was true, and while Juan was one of the more tolerable pirates she didn't like the idea of being the reason he had an ear cut off.

"Since this morning?"

"_S__ì_."

"What did you give him to let you off?" he asked, looking interested.

Lovina resisted the urge to punch him. It didn't matter what the story was so long as he believed it. "None of your business. He let me leave the ship, that's all that matters. I just have to be back by sunset."

Juan hesitated.

Seeing she almost had him, and rationalizing she'd never see him again, Lovina took a few slow steps toward him. Trying to remember how Feliciana behaved when she wanted men to do things for her, Lovina tried her hand at an art she had previously scorned. _Desperate times call for desperate measures,_ she thought grimly.

"I just wanted a little time on land," she said sweetly, pouting a little. "It gets boring on that ship." When she was close enough she reached out, putting a hand on his chest and made her first ever attempt at a flirtatious look. "I'm a lady, remember? I can't discuss certain things. But if you promise to leave me alone I might show you how I got him to let me on land."

And the nuns had thought her a devil child _before_. Lovina mentally cringed at what would happen if things went south and she ended up back on the_Delfín_ _Rojo_ now. All the more reason to get out of Tortuga as soon as possible.

Considering her previous tactics around men had involved swearing and scowling, her untried technique worked quite well. Juan took a moment, looked her up and down, and then turned right around, marching smartly back down the dock. Lovina waited until he was out of sight before sighing in relief, wiping her hand on her skirt.

Muttering under her breath, Lovina continued working her way down the docks, increasing her pace. It was another hour before she found what she was looking for, a large ship docked next to a pulley tower. Crewmen were rolling empty barrels down the planks, parking them next to it.

_Well, a rum ship is better than no ship,_ thought Lovina wryly, making her way towards it.

As she got closer Lovina could hear the captain bellowing orders to the crew, cracking a whip in the general direction of those who weren't moving fast enough. She hovered for a few minutes, watching them from a distance.

From the look of it, they were loading empty barrels onto the ship. She doubted she would be missed if she got in one before it was loaded, but they were certainly large enough to make a decent hiding spot. If she could get on board and hide in one of the barrels already stowed...

Lovina was studying the ship, trying to work out just how she could get on it without being seen when, for the second time that day, an unpleasantly familiar voice spoke up from behind her.

"I really wouldn't. He's not called Captain Whiphand Willis for nothing."

Very slowly, shoulders tense, Lovina turned around. While his tone wasn't cheerful, it wasn't icy either. She was startled to find him not two feet from her. How had he gotten so close?

Slowly, reluctantly, she looked up into Antonio's face. He didn't look very happy.

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><p><strong>Buenos días- good morning<strong>

**Buongiorno- good morning**

**Delizioso- delicious**

**Dos- two**

**Comprender- understand**

**Tres- three**

**Bueno- good**

**buco infernale- hell hole**

**Yes, it has been established that tomatoes are, in fact, fruits. At least they were last I checked. :P**

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Shout out to Vintage Sherry, WindSakura, Marchioness Phantomhive, Rani-Girl, 1, ShadowFox197, Hinotori-hime, and Angy! So many reviews in just thirty-six hours! It makes me so happy! Can't believe how popular this story is! *Executes embarrassing happy dance*  
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**Enjoy!**

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><p>Lovina stared up at Antonio for a long minute, braced for an explosion of some sort. Shouting, an appearance of the ruthless pirate, anything. She knew he wasn't best pleased with her latest antic, she could see that much, yet he didn't lash out.<p>

After what felt like an eternity, he surprised her by heaving a weary sigh and turning away. "Come along, Lovi. Keep up unless you want to be carried back."

For a heartbeat she seriously considered making a run for it, but quickly discarded the idea. Yes she felt she could match him in a footrace, but he was between her and the other end of this dock. Besides, if her recent journey through Tortuga's streets was any indication, she'd get lost before she made it two blocks. Her third reasoning point was that her escape attempt was basically demolished at this point. Choosing Tortuga to even try had been poor judgment on her part. If she wanted to try and run, it couldn't be at a pirate port.

Keeping a short distance between herself and Antonio, just in case, Lovina reluctantly trudged after him. The pirate led her along the main road that wound around the edges of the docks, striding along at a brisk pace wordlessly. Lovina found she had to half trot to keep pace with him. She took the fact that she hadn't had to try this hard before as another indicator she'd ignited his temper.

The ship was still more or less deserted when they got back to it. Lovina glanced around, feeling a bit relieved when she didn't see Juan. She didn't feel quite the same way when Antonio opened the door to his cabin, holding it open for her.

For the second time Lovina considered making a run for it, only to shove it down when she started to think it through. So rather than run, she asked wearily, "What are you going to do?"

Antonio said nothing, just giving her a hard look.

Reluctantly, she edged past him into the room, going to stand by the large window. Once she was in the pirate stepped inside, yanking the door shut with a slam. Lovina twitched when the bar crashed into place, eyeing the pirate.

He leaned back against the door, folding his arms. "I didn't let you off the ship because I trusted you not to run, Lovi. I wanted to, but I'm not stupid. The only reason I agreed to let you off the ship was because I knew you wouldn't get far."

"Then why are you so mad?" demanded Lovina, falling back on her old hide-behind-the-temper tactic. It might not always be smart but it was what she knew best. "I didn't even get on a damn ship."

"I'm not angry you tried to run, Lovi," he said, shrugging off the door. "Disappointed, _s__ì_, but not angry." Taking wandering, almost idle steps in her general direction he continued, "I am angry because I caught Juan on his third tankard of brandy."

Lovina went ridged. _Merda!_

"If you think he likes to talk when he is sober, you really should see him drunk," mused Antonio, though his eyes burned. "Tell me, Lovi, why would he go against orders? Instead of bringing you back, he went drinking. _¿Por qué?__"_

Lovina gulped. "I told him you let me off. He wouldn't go away so I threatened to-

"Lovina!"

She clamped her mouth shut. It wasn't that he'd snapped at her, it was that he'd actually used her name. Suddenly Lovina found she was genuinely regretting trying anything.

Eyes blazing, he said in a dangerously calm tone, "I decided not to cut off his ear, if it is any concern to you. Now explain to me just what it is you did to convince me to let you off the ship. My memory must be getting _malo_. I thought we simply made a deal. Was I wrong?"

Lovina swallowed. He'd stopped advancing, but he was barely four feet away. "No."

"Oh? Then why did he ask me if you were fun? That question is only used when you're looking for a good _bordello_."

"How the hell am I supposed to know? He was drunk and probably in the mood."

The pirate stepped towards her. Before she could do more than lurch back a step he grabbed her shoulders, holding her fast. He wasn't holding her tight enough to hurt, but only just.

Leaning down so his face was inches from hers, he said in a low voice, "Lovina, I have been very patient with you. I have already said I'm not angry about you trying to run. Be honest with me or my patience run out. Simply because I won't raise a hand to you does not mean I will not punish you, _comprender?_ Now explain to me why you decided it would be a _maravilloso_ idea to tell a crewmen you would sleep with him if you won't even let me kiss you."

Deciding she would probably make things worse by not by not being honest about it, and unable to look away from the emerald eyes burning into her, Lovina found the truth spilling from her lips before she even realized she was speaking. "I only told him that because it was the only way to get him to leave me alone. I didn't think I'd ever see him again. There's no way I'm going to actually do it, there never was."

Antonio held her gaze for another long minute before releasing her, stepping back. He still didn't look happy, but at least the worst of it seemed to have simmered down. "You still should not have said it, Lovi."

Noting that he was back to the nickname that was no longer quite as irritating as it once was, Lovina slumped slightly in relief. He'd bought it, at least. Now the question was just how mad he still was.

Deciding to not take any chances, she hurriedly said, "I'll tell him I lied, that we just made a deal. As soon as he comes on board I'll tell him the truth."

"No."

She stiffened. "No?" she asked carefully.

"You will not tell him, I will. You are not leaving this cabin, not for a few days at least. You can come out when we're a day's sail from port."

"But-

"Unless you would rather spend it locked in the cargo hold do not push my patience any farther, Lovi."

With that he turned away, walking briskly back to the door. Lovina twitched when he slammed the door shut again, turning the lock. She wanted to feel mad, she knew she should, so why did she only feel guilt?

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><p>Some part of her had hoped he would be like <em>Nonno<em> when it came to punishments. Lovina had been sent to her room a lot, banished with the order to 'go without dinner' and 'think about what she'd done'. She never did either of these things. Inevitably Lovina would fume, throw things, and then sulk. Usually within an hour or so after whatever meal she'd been banned from _Nonno_ would knock on her door, tray in hand.

Antonio, on the other hand, was good to his word. Lovina didn't leave the cabin for the rest of the day. The pirate didn't come in even once, not even to bring her a midday meal. By the time the sun was setting and he finally returned, Lovina was starving.

As he bared the door and went about his routine of removing hat and coat, Lovina propped her fists on her hips and glared at him. "I'm hungry, _bastardo_. And I'm thirsty."

"Mmm? Oh, _s__ì_, I forgot."

She felt some satisfaction when Antonio replaced his hat on his head and left, even if he did lock the door behind him. That satisfaction vanished when Antonio came back with only one of the smaller water buckets in hand, ladle and all. He set the bucket on the floor by the desk, and then restarted his routine.

"Where's the food, _idiota?_" growled Lovina. She'd been hungry when he'd brought her back to the ship, now she was starving. Her stomach had been growling with increasing frequency all afternoon. Her efforts to get something to eat by banging on the door hadn't amounted to anything.

"There is none," he said simply, tossing his coat over the chest.

Lovina stared at him. "What do you mean there is none?" she demanded.

Antonio started unbuckling the various belts that secured weapons to his person, answering casually, "There is none for you. You eat when we leave port. You can leave the cabin when we are a day's sail away."

Lovina stared at him, mouth falling open slightly. "You can't be serious," she spluttered after a moment.

"_S__ì_, I am," he said simply, sitting to start the nightly wrangle with his boots. "I told you, Lovi, I cannot raise a hand to you. If you were anyone else it would simply be a matter of how many lashings to give you. With you, this is the worst I can do I'm afraid. An empty stomach is not as painful as the whip, believe me. Do not worry, we leave port in three days, maybe less if the crew keeps drinking at this rate."

"You expect me to go four days without food?" Lovina demanded incredulously.

"No, three. You had food today."

"That was this morning!"

"_S__ì_, I know. I brought it to you, remember?" he said coolly, getting to his feet. "Get your brush, Lovi."

Lovina's fists clinched at her sides. "No."

Antonio, who had turned to the bed, stopped. He regarded her, lifting his eyebrows. "No?"

The Italian lifted her chin stubbornly. "No. I'm not playing that damned game until you give me something to eat."

The pirate frowned. "Lovi, I do not enjoy this."

"Then why the hell are you doing it?"

"Because it was necessary for me to tell Juan that all you did to get off the ship was agree not to run," he snapped. "He's lucky I don't cut off more than his ear. The only reason he is still in one piece is because he is more useful to me intact. Besides, he's one of the more intelligent men on my crew. You must have played the part well to have convinced him."

"Wait, is all this because you're jealous?" Lovina demanded incredulously. "I panicked and I lied, _bastardo_. No way in hell am I sleeping with that-

"That is not the point," growled Antonio, eyes icy. "You are _mine_, Lovina. I made it clear no one was to touch you. You won't let me touch you, fine. But that you offered, real or no, is worse than running. I do not care if you were cornered, surely you could have thought of something else."

"Like what?" demanded Lovina. "It was the first thing I could think of. I was lucky it worked."

She quickly discovered her poor word choice when his eyes narrowed.

"_Lucky?"_ he demanded icily. "Is that what you think?"

"At the time, yes," she shot back stubbornly. "I'm _not_ you, _bene?_ My oversized mouth is all I have when I can't run. I'm sorry it made you mad, but it was all I could think of."

The pirate snorted in derision. "You are _lucky_ you're not one of my men, Lovi. Very lucky."

"Why, because I'm getting starved instead of whipped?" While quite frankly starvation did seem like a slightly more pleasant, if more drawn out, she wasn't about to admit it. "How the hell would you know?"

"Because I've had both," he hissed. "If I was _lucky_ it wasn't at the same time." Antonio closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He let it out slowly, and then calmly pulled his boots back on.

"Where the hell are you going now?"

"Out. Go to bed, Lovi. I won't sleep here tonight."

Before she could protest he was gone, closing the door with a rousing _slam_ before the lock turned. Lovina stared at the door for a long moment, and then stalked over to the bed. She snatched one of the pillows, buried her face in it and screamed.

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><p><strong>Merda- shit<strong>

**¿Por qué? -why?**

**Malo- bad**

**bordello- brothel**

**Bene- alright?**

**Please Review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Shout out to Phantom Ice, Vintage Sherry, Rani-Girl, Hinotori-hime, and 1!**

**I am quite fond of Antonio, and as such I don't like painting him as a bad-guy if I don't have to. If he _is _painted as such, it is for the sake of the plot only and he does not remain that way. (My plot-bunny is erratic and has the occasional evil streak.) It's one of the reasons this update was so fast- I started working on it once I finished the last one :P**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Antonio didn't come back in the morning. At least, not when she was awake. When she woke up his coat, hat, and weapons were missing. The door was still locked, and she was still hungry. It had actually gone away yesterday, the hunger, only to reappear full-force periodically. Today was no different, though she found herself sitting more and pacing less.<p>

At least she wasn't thirsty anymore, reluctantly putting the water bucket to use. That said, Lovina only did so when she absolutely had to. Periodically she would go over to the door, banging on the wood and yelling profanities through it until her fists hurt. Eventually she stopped doing even that, her hands raw and sore from hitting the rough wood so much.

When the sun set that night Lovina sat in the large chair behind the desk, knees drawn up under her chin. There was still no sign of Antonio, and her stomach was rumbling again. Groaning, she tipped her head back against the polished wood of the chair. "Shut up," she told her stomach. "Damn bastard really meant it. I swear the next time he comes in, I'm gutting his ass."

Lovina, in an effort to stave off boredom and forget about the bouts of hunger, had taken the time to thoroughly search the cabin. She found four knives, three pistols, not to mention a considerable supply of both gunpowder and bullets. The latter was in a secret compartment beneath the floorboards underneath the desk. The blades and pistols were stashed around the room.

Then there was the giant axe in the wardrobe. To be honest Lovina had forgotten about it. It seemed as though Antonio's signature weapon only came out during raids. She tried to take it out, curious, but quickly thought better of it. Not because she was afraid Antonio might find out, she'd handled everything else she'd found until she was satisfied she had a good feel for them.

Lovina quickly pushed the thing back against the wardrobe's back panel when she realized it was easily as tall as she was, and very heavy. The main pole alone was as thick as her wrist, and the razor-sharp broad head wasn't exactly light weight. How did Antonio wield this thing?

"I can't use the damn axe," she muttered, closing her eyes. "The crew will hear if I use one of the pistols on the bastard. Guess it will have to be one of the knives. Which one?

No two were alike, which had surprised her. One was long, double edged, while another was a little shorter with a curve in the blade. The third had been short, only as long as her hand, with one edge. The fourth was the one that had disappeared from the desk, it's bejeweled sheath relocated to one of the desk drawers.

Lovina was still trying to decide which one she should use when she nodded off.

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><p>The morning sunlight woke her when it hit her face. Lovina cracked an eye, in an even more bad mood than she usually was when she woke up. Groggily she sat up, and then frowned.<p>

Lovina distinctly remembered being in the chair when she fell asleep. She had narrowed it down to the curved knife or the longer one, deciding bigger was better, but had dropped off before she could get any farther.

"How the hell did I get in the bed?" she muttered, sluggishly crawling out of it.

As her feet hit the floor, something occurred to Lovina. She looked up, squinting though the sunlight pouring through the back window. Not quite sure of what she was seeing, she trudged towards it for a closer look.

They weren't in port anymore. All she could see besides the blasted sun was blue sky and lapping waves. It had only been one day, hadn't it? Didn't Antonio say it would be three? Why had they left port?

Frowning, wondering if she should try banging on the door again, Lovina turned towards the door. As she did, she noticed something on the desk that made her freeze. For a moment she just stared, not really believing it.

On the desk sat the tray, and on it, arranged in a smiley face, sat six tomatoes. _Six._ Each plump and red and juicy looking. Lovina felt her mouth start to water.

Still she hesitated, looking at the door. It was still shut. But Tortuga wasn't even in sight anymore, how long had they been sailing?

Shaking it off, stomach reminding her she was overdue for food, Lovina walked briskly over to the desk. She inhaled the first three tomatoes, only slowing to savor them when she picked up the fourth. As much as she loved tomatoes, she couldn't recall any tasting as good as these.

Plate clean, Lovina eyed the door. Why Antonio had left port early she didn't know, but he had kept his word, leaving her food once they had set sail. He was good at that, she reasoned rather reluctantly, for a pirate.

The sun was high in the sky, and Lovina was just starting to get hungry again, when there was a light knock on the door. She started slightly, surprised, and turned to look as she heard the bolt slide back. Only the prospect of keeping Antonio in his regained brighter mood kept her from making a dive for the knife she'd relocated.

Antonio pushed open the door, stepping in and kicking the door shut. He smiled cheerfully at her, plate in hand. It held a slim wedge of cheese shoved in half a loaf of bread, and three more tomatoes. A tankard was in his other hand. A smile and twinkling eyes had returned to his face.

"It's not good to sleep in a chair, Lovi," he said cheerfully, coming over to the desk. "It makes you sore in the morning." Setting down the meal, he added in a sly tone, "But if you _want_ to wake up sore-

Lovina grabbed the empty plate and swung it as hard as she could while using just the one hand. It didn't have quite as much force as she might have liked, but it served her purpose. Antonio stumbled back a pace with a started, "Ow!"

"Feh," huffed Lovina, setting down the plate. "Thanks for the tomatoes." Peering into the tankard she asked, "Is this water?"

"_S__ì_," answered Antonio, rubbing his nose, eyeing her.

Lovina plopped down in the chair, pulled the plate closer, and tucked in. Ignoring Antonio, she disregarded any and all 'proper etiquette' rules she had ever learned. She had done so more than once simply to irritate whoever had been left in charge of her, and on rare occasion when _Nonno_ had gotten on her nerves. It wasn't that she was trying to irritate Antonio now, it was simply that she decided until she was back in Port Diego, she was going to be among pirates. Pirates didn't care if you took tiny bites you had carefully sawed away from the rest of the dish with a knife, lifting them carefully to your mouth with a fork. They didn't care if you talked with your mouth full or slurped or smacked.

For the time being, Lovina was resigned to her fate. She had always found the do's and don'ts of being a lady irritating. Sure she managed, Feliciana excelled, but unlike her sister Lovina dropped them at any opportunity. If she only ate pretty for her own family when there were witnesses present, there was no way she was going to do so for a pirate.

If Antonio cared, he didn't let on. Rather he waited until she'd slammed down the empty tankard, wiped her mouth with the back of her arm, and burped lightly. "Not bad," she grunted, sitting back.

She was surprised when the pirate chuckled. As he gathered the plates Antonio mused, "I think you would like being a pirate more than you liked being a noble, Lovi."

Eying him, Lovina asked, "What the hell makes you say that?"

"Call it a hunch," he said, chuckling. "Why is there a dagger down your dress?"

Lovina felt her face heat. Okay, so she'd relocated _two_ of the daggers. The curved one was near the door, wedged between a chest and the wall where it could be yanked from its sheath at a moment's notice. The other, the smallest, she had decided to keep on her person. Not liking the odds of Antonio letting her keep it if she wore it openly, after some experimentation found the one place it would stay. Unfortunately, this place was in her bodice. The only place in her bodice that would both keep the sheath in place and within easy reach was in the middle of her chest.

"I'm not giving it back, _bastardo_," she told him curtly, folding her arms over her chest.

Antonio arched an eyebrow, regarding the daggers hiding place. Lovina felt her face heat even more. She'd thought she'd hidden it well, too! You couldn't even see the hilt. Well, _she_ could, but only when she looked straight down.

"I could just take it from you," he mused.

"You wouldn't dare," said Lovina, though she took a step back. As much as she didn't think he would, she couldn't bring herself to put it past him. As she kept reminding herself, he _was_ a pirate.

Said pirate chuckled. "As much as I'd like to, it wouldn't work in my favor." Cocking his head, he mused, "I would make your promise not to stab me, if I let you keep it, but your last promise didn't end well did it?"

"I promise not to stab you."

Eyes flicking briefly back to the dagger before returning to her still red face, he said, "I'm afraid you will have to give me a little more than that, Lovi."

Taking a deep breath, she thought for a moment. "I promise on my sisters life I will not stab you if you keep your hands to yourself."

Antonio laughed, but said, "Very well. Be good and you can come out in the morning,_ s__ì_?"

Lovina was about to protest, but stopped herself. He might be treating her more like a child than she liked, but he had relented on the timeline. He was cheerful, being nice to her again. She wanted to keep him that way, at least until the next port.

* * *

><p>Antonio came back to the cabin that night, resuming their previous routine. He brought her dinner, which included two more tomatoes. Lovina was quite happy to eat them, though she wondered how many more days they would last at this rate. He probably hadn't gotten many, not if he hadn't brought them on board before.<p>

Once she'd cleaned the plate Antonio barred the door, taking off his hat. He turned to her then, giving her a questioning look. Lovina huffed, but grabbed the brush. The smile that lit his face was almost worth it.

"Why are you so happy?" she grumped, stalking over to the bed.

Antonio just continued to smile, making quick work of his boots. Lovina took off her head cloth, running a hand through her hair to shake it out a bit. After spending so long under the thing it had a tendency to go rather flat where the cloth held it down.

She grudgingly waited until he was perched next to her before getting to work on it, noting that without the wind it wasn't as bad as it might have been after two days without a brushing.

"How did you plan on getting on board?" he asked before she could open her mouth.

Scowling, she demanded, "Are you still-

Antonio held up a finger, eyes twinkling. "Not your turn, Lovi. I am not mad anymore, I am only curious. My next question will be different."

Still scowling, she grumbled, "I was going to stow away. No other way I was going to get on board, unless they needed a cook. When are the tomatoes going to run out?"

"Mmm, two weeks, I think."

Lovina stared at him. "Two weeks?" she repeated in disbelief.

"I told you, Lovi. When we got to Tortuga I would get you a big barrel of tomatoes. Tomorrow I will show you if you do not believe me. We needed that pulley for more than just rum and water."

The irritation slowly left her brushing. Lovina wasn't sure what to say to that, touched. _Damn, the pirate bastard keeps his word better than any noble I've ever met,_ she thought. _Except for_ Nonno. Nonno _always keeps his word too._

"Now, why is it you decided to keep a dagger there?"

Lovina scowled at him, heat returning to her face. "It was the only place it would stay put that was out of sight. How the hell do you do anything with that damn axe of yours?"

"Practice, Lovi," he chuckled. "Lots of practice. The sword is much easier and less conspicuous, though. Why did you try to run from me, Lovi?"

"I thought you said you weren't surprised."

"I wasn't. But I would like to hear it from you. Maybe we can fix it."

"Don't make me a prisoner, _bastardo_, and we'll talk."

"So if I let you choose, you would choose to stay?"

"That's a new question."

"Then ask me a question before you answer it."

"Would you teach me how to use a sword?"

"No one ever taught you?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

"I'm supposed to be a lady, _idiota_,'' she huffed. "Even _Nonno_ wouldn't budge on that. Ladies don't fight, they sit politely at dinner tables and treat everyone like a damn gentlemen. Why the hell do you think all I can do is yell and run?"

Antonio seemed to consider this. Then he said, "I will not teach you now. Maybe later. If I can trust you not to turn what you learn on me, then I will get you your own sword and show you how to use it. Now, answer my question."

Lovina hadn't been expecting that. It was a pleasant surprise, though. After taking a minute to remember just what the question was, she found herself surprised with her own answer. She still wanted to get the hell away from the _Delfín_ _Rojo_ and it's captain, but she doubted that would work in her favor. If he was going to cut her lock her in a room, even a pleasant one, without food for God knew how long every time she pushed his patience past their limit, she didn't want to stick around. Admittedly it had taken a good deal to get him to that point, but that was hardly an excuse.

After putting in some extra thought, she concocted an answer that was partly true. Frankly the only thing keeping her answer from being completely honest was the fact she wasn't crazy about staying with a man, pirate or no, who would 'punish' her like a child when his temper finally erupted.

"I don't know. I miss _Nonno_, and Feli. I don't miss being a noble all the time. If I wasn't a prisoner it might not be so bad. If you promise not to keep me locked up and punish me when I make you mad, and if you promise to teach me how to fight...maybe I would stay." After a second she added quickly, "And if I could visit Feli and _Nonno_."

"That's quite a list," mused Antonio. "We will see. Now, if I asked you to would you kiss me?"

Lovina twisted to look at him. "No way, _bastardo_."

"Why not?"

"That's a new question."

Antonio sighed. "Consider it an expansion and answer it, please, Lovi."

"Because I don't want to."

"Why?"

"You're a damn pirate bastard, that's why."

Antonio pouted. "I think you know me a little better than that, Lovi. That was the point of this game."

"Maybe, but I don't appreciate being punished like a damn child. If you want me to kiss you, you're going to have to give me a little more respect, bastardo."

The pirate's eyes flashed. "It's because I respected you I did it, Lovi. I was mad, yes, but I was also trying to make a point. Until you learn how to fight and learn how things work, you can't go off on your own like that. You were lucky Juan was the only person you ran into."

"That's my next question, what the hell did you do to him?"

Antonio sighed. "I told you I need him intact, Lovi. A good helmsmen that doesn't fall asleep easily is harder to find than you might think. I can hardly not follow through on my word, otherwise it will be meaningless."

Lovina stiffened. "Wait, you really cut his ear off?"

"He can still hear just fine, Lovi. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt. Had to wait a whole day before he was sober enough to appreciate it."

Her jaw dropped. "I thought I told you it wasn't his fault!"

"He should have known better," Antonio told her, stern faced.

"You can't just-

"The only reason I can keep them in line is because of that," Antonio said, cutting her off. "I make it a point to follow through on my word, be it a promise or a threat, Lovi. They know that. I think you do to, whether or not you want to admit it. I realize you don't like it, and I find no joy in it."

"Then why? Can't you get them to listen any other way?"

"No. Not in this world, Lovi. Believe me, I tried, almost got myself killed in the process. It is not pretty, but it is the truth. This is why I wanted to keep you out of Tortuga."

"If you could explain to me why the hell you were being so bitchy about it I might have listened," Lovina snapped.

"Would you?"

_ "S__ì__!"_

Antonio shook his head. "No. I think we both know that's a lie. It doesn't matter what I tell you, you would not believe me until you saw for yourself. Think about it, do you believe me now?"

Lovina hesitated. "Yes."

"But you had to see it for yourself." Antonio sighed wearily, getting up to take the brush back to the desk and put out the lights. As he did he continued, "I would gladly give you whatever you wish, Lovi, but I'm no fool. I won't give you something just to have it turned on me. Until then, I can't let you go."

"What do you mean 'can't'?" demanded Lovina.

As he put out the last light he said, "I could not bring myself to do it. To lose you now would be very painful."

"Why?"

Antonio didn't answer this time. Lovina flopped down on her back, groaning in exasperation. "Damn you're irritating."

The pirate chuckled. "You're hardly one to talk, Lovi."

Lovina made a face, rolling onto her side and away from him, only to squeak when an arm snaked around her waist. "What are you doing?" she demanded, pushing against it.

"Goodnight, Lovi," chuckled the pirate, settling down at her back.

Scowling, Lovina grudgingly settled down. She was tired, and at this point she wasn't in the mood to argue with him about it. Besides, it wasn't all that bad. He was warm.

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><p>Lovina's head snapped up from the pillow the next morning when the door banged back against the wall. She sat up groggily, frowning for a moment when she saw Antonio dart across the cabin, yanking open the wardrobe. It wasn't until he pulled out the axe and slammed it shut again that she was able to cast off the drowsiness, though.<p>

"What's going on?" she demanded, scrambling from the bed.

Antonio's face was grim, his eyes like ice as he stalked back towards the door. Lovina knew that look, and while it chilled her, she wanted to know why. Before she could do more than start after him, though, the pirate spun to face her.

"Stay here, Lovina, do you understand? Bar the door behind me, and don't let anyone in no matter what. _Comprender?_"

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!"

Rather than argue, Antonio walked briskly out the door and wrenched the door shut. By the time Lovina reached it the lock was already in place, a bar sliding down on the outside. She banged a fist on it, and then winced as she recalled her hands hadn't quite recovered from the other day.

Before she could formulate what she would do next, though, a shadow in the window made her turn. It was a ship, coming in at an angle on their port side. Frowning, she walked briskly over to the window, pressing her face to the glass.

_Holy shit...no wonder the bastard had his murder face on,_ thought Lovina, feeling spooked herself.

As much as she wanted to get off Antonio's ship, this was most defiantly not how she wanted to do it. It occurred to her that if given a choice now she'd fight with the pirates who had captured her. Oh the bitchy irony that was her life.

The ship coming towards them fast and gaining was a formally known as _Royal_ _Blood_, but now it went by the name _Green Revenge_. It was a repurposed fleet ship from Her Majesty's Royal Navy. Her captain had many nicknames, some unpleasant and some teasing, but his real name was respected or feared, depending on which side of the law you were inquiring. The _Green Revenge_ was bearing down on them, and it looked to be mere minutes before they were side-by-side. Captain Arthur Kirkland had found them.

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Shout out to 1, Hinotori-hime, Rani-girl, MiserableAnon, Angy, ShadowFox197, Mizushi-Hime, Vintage Sherry, Phantom Ice, and IvyTheKitty!  
><strong>

**Sorry for the suspense, couldn't resist, *giggles evilly*. I hate being on the receiving end up I enjoy dealing it out. Hope it was worth it!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Lovina didn't bar the door. Outside, she could hear the crew yelling and running to and fro, prepping for a fight. Antonio bellowed orders over the chaos in a mix of angry English and Spanish.<p>

"Move it, lazy _perros!_ _Más rápido!_ Ready the cannons! Someone shoot that traitor down! Get every weapon ready! _Ve! Ve! Ve!__"_

Lovina pressed her ear to the door, frowning. She felt a little sick when, after a few pistol blasts, something heavy hit the deck hard. Pedro? Pedro the fifteen year old look out had betrayed them? No, wait, it was sunrise. Pedro was their day look out. The cranky old man who returned her glower was their night look out. She felt a little less sick after she realized that.

Turning back to the window, Lovina watched the _Green Revenge_ get closer. She could see her crew on deck, scrambling around a good deal less as they too prepared for a fight. The side doors opened, cannons poking out of the ships sides. Lovina counted fifteen cannons on the starboard side. That meant thirty in total. The _Delfín_ _Rojo_ only had twenty.

Worse, when she looked farther back, it occurred to her that the two other ships Antonio usually kept within sight range were gone. What happened to them? She hadn't given it much thought before, but the two vessels hadn't been there to begin with.

Lovina closed her eyes slowly, fists clinching. _That is why Kirkland was striking now,_ she thought angrily. _That damn traitor told him we were alone. He's coming after Antonio when he doesn't have two extra ships with him. Why the hell did that_ idiota _sail without them, anyway?_

By this point the _Green Revenge_ was starting to overtake them, the point of her bow out of sight. Lovina strained to watch it for a moment, and then ran back to the door. Rather than bang on it, though, she grabbed the curved dagger and jammed it between the door and it's frame. It fit, barely. Slowly, straining, she dragged it upward, tying to catch the lock. The door opened inward, if she could lift the lock ducking under the outside bar would be no problem.

Ear pressed to the wood, Lovina heard metal clink. Catching her breath, she eased it upward...only to hear metal scratching metal. She cursed, yanking the dagger from the door. It wasn't long enough, but only just if the tip had scraped the latch. Hurriedly she dug out the longest dagger, only to find it too large to fit in the crack.

Giving up on that plan, Lovina grabbed one of the pistols, eyeing the door. What if she blasted it, right around where the latch should be...

Lovina's plotting came to a halt when she heard it, a roar of challenge voiced by the entire crew. More cannons were going off, and judging by the tremors under her feet it was from both sides. The fighting had started...it didn't sound like they had been boarded yet though. Had they boarded the _Green Revenge_? No, the shouting sounded just as loud as it had to begin with. No loss of numbers. Yet.

Antonio might set a higher standard for himself than his crew did, but not all of them were bad. That they might not all make it made her feel a little queasy. Kirkland was supposed to be good, very good. A virtually undefeated admiral before, he'd adapted more ruthless tactics that made him the feared scourge of the sea. The only question was, was he better than Antonio?

Lovina prayed he wasn't. Setting the pistol aside, she went back to the door and pressed her ear to the wood, trying to make out what was going on. Antonio was shouting orders again, but it was harder to hear with the commotion. It sounded as if the two crews were having some sort of shouting match, seeing who could make the loudest and most offensive yells. At least that fight sounded pretty evenly matched, maybe more so since half of Antonio's crew were native Spanish speakers, and she at least could understand precisely what obscenities they were yelling. Lovina found herself making mental notes for later use.

More cannons started going off as the ships drew side by side. If what she recalled about ship battles, one would try to land grappling hooks on the other, pulling them together so crews could cross decks to fight. Lovina did a quick calculation, wracking her brain to work out how many people would probably be on Kirkland's ship. It was a bit bigger, hence the extra cannons, which mean more crew members and more fighters. With no backup on the way, Kirkland still had the advantage.

Lovina banged a fist on the door angrily. Damn it, why did he have to be smart! Why couldn't he have been a lucky idiot?

The more she listened, the less she found she wanted to. The Spanish-accented and Spanish-riddled voices of the_Delfín_ _Rojo_ crew was starting to mix with different voices. English voices. English voices with British accents.

Metal clanged and clashed on metal. Swords, she realized. They were on deck, the _Green Revenge_'s crew had gotten across first. Not good.

Lovina cursed every last lord or servant that had refused to teach her any sort of fighting. Even if she could aim a pistol it would be better than nothing. She hated this, hated being helpless. The only thing keeping her joining the fight, once she blasted through the door, was the fact she wouldn't last long. They'd cut her down in less than a minute.

_Wait, what about a cannon?_ she thought, her temper pausing in its escalation. She'd seen them used before, knew how to load and fire one. What's more, in a fight like this, you didn't really have to aim it. Just light the fuse and stuff your fingers in your ears. What was keeping her from firing a cannon? That would mean at least one more crewman who could fight, and she'd have the pleasure of seeing holes splinter in the side of the _Green Revenge_.

Warming to her idea, Lovina went back and grabbed the pistol. She'd never been allowed to fire one before, but Lovina decided there was no time like the present. She pulled the hammer back, pointed it at the area she knew the latch to be, and pulled the trigger.

Lovina stumbled back a step, her arms flying up with the force of the kick. A resounding _bang_ that struck her as louder than the cannons rang through the room. Ears still ringing slightly, Lovina looked at the door, and swore.

There was a decent sized hole in the wood alright, a good foot from where she'd been aiming. Muttering under her breath, Lovina fetched the second pistol, marching over to the door. This time she held the end of the muzzle inches from the wood before she pulled the trigger.

Well, the hole was where it was supposed to be. Unfortunately, it only went halfway through the thick wood. Temper broiling, Lovina threw the weapon across the room. A pistol was no cannon, it was a more delicate operation to reload, one she had no desire to risk, even now. A more careful look at the first hole showed the bullet hadn't gone all the way through. Close, but not quite.

Lovina paced furiously in front of the door, listening helplessly as the fight raged on outside. What if they tried to sink the ship? Would she go down with it? What if they lost?

_Stop it!_ she told herself angrily, shaking her head. Antonio said the only reason Kirkland had a bigger reward was because he was a traitor to the British crown. Not because he was a better or more deadly pirate. It was implied they were on level ground on that front. Still, there were numbers to think about. Lovina knew enough to appreciate just what a slight change in numbers could do.

It took far too long in her opinion before things started to die down. Gradually cannons fired less and less, the shouting and clang of weapons growing silent. She strained to hear, pressing an ear the newly formed holes to try and listen when voices started speaking rather than yelling.

"Not a bad fight, considering you left your real fighters in Tortuga," a man was musing. His accent was undoubtedly British. Lovina's blood ran cold. Antonio had won, right? It was at least a draw, right?

"I thought you hated mercenaries," the Spaniard was growling. "Why did you take on an entire garrison?"

"The reason is obvious, isn't it? It worked, though I was prepared to fight all three of your ships. How lucky for me you left port before them."

_No, no, no, no, damn it don't tell me that_ bastardo _lost!_

"Instead of bragging why don't you tell me just what it is you want. You're usually more interested in killing than taking prisoners."

"In due time," the British man chuckled, his voice getting closer. "Now as I recall you keep something quite special, something I have use for."

Lovina looked around quickly, snatching up the curved dagger and stepping behind the door. No sooner had her back hit the wall than the door was thrown wide. Moving on instinct rather than thought, she whirled around, dagger out as a man stepped into the cabin.

An iron hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Lovina found herself staring into a set of acidic green eyes, and her heart sank. She'd know that face anywhere. Pale skin, messy blond hair, huge eyebrows...the healing black eye was new, but everything else was almost identical to his wanted poster, at least the few that held a sketch of him. The fact that he was shorter than she'd expected, shorter than Antonio, didn't do anything for the fear brewing in her stomach.

A chilling smile touched his face, and Kirkland shifted his grip, forcing her to drop the knife. Snapped out of her initial shock, Lovina jerked at the grip. "Let me go_, bastardo!_"

"Hardly," chuckled the pirate, starting to lead her outside.

Lovina dug in her heals, automatically delivering a roundhouse slap to the man's face. When that didn't seem to faze him she drove a foot down on one boot while aiming a punch at his stomach. She had the gratification of hearing him grunt in pain, though she found herself gritting her teeth as the grip on her wrist tightened.

"What the bloody hell is it with women hitting me of late?" he growled, yanking her outside.

"It's not anything you don't deserve!" snapped Lovina, still digging her heals in.

Ignoring this, Kirkland raised his voice as they came out on deck. "I never pegged you as the sort to keep a vixen on board, Carriedo. Don't you know they're bad luck?"

Lovina spat some of her newly learned obscenities at the pirate, yanking at the grip though it hurt. She could feel the sheath of the small dagger pressing into her skin like a brand, though if she'd learned anything recently it was to bide her time. This was her last weapon, she couldn't throw it away.

"There's no way you could have known she was on board," said Antonio. The icy tone finally made Lovina look up, and what she saw froze her where she stood.

The fight had not gone well. Remembering what had been said about mercenaries, it made sense, but that didn't make the scene any easier to take. Weapons lay strewn across the deck, usually by the body of their owner. At least there was dead on both sides, though she noted that at least the numbers were pretty even. There were much more still alive on Kirkland's crew, though. Too many. For every one of Antonio's men still alive there were two pointing sword's at their throats. Three were restraining the captain himself, one on each side holding him down on his knees while a third held a sword close enough he wouldn't forget it was there.

You wouldn't have known it to look at Antonio's face, though. Lovina had never seen such a look of chilling hatred on anyone before. Even though he'd lost, or perhaps because of it, Antonio was murderous. A quick second take around the deck and she was able to locate his axe. Its blade was buried deep in the planks not far from him, and what she could see of it was solid red with blood. There wasn't any on the grip.

"I was going to find that map of yours," Kirkland was musing. "I can't understand a word of Spanish, which would have been an issue, but I would have taken it simply because it was so precious to you. Though if her choice of swearing is any indication your little wench here is quite fluent. It seems Lady Luck has developed a liking for me."

Lovina glowered at him, noting she didn't have to look up very much to do it. Only the fact she was losing feeling in her hand already kept her from snapping at him. Noting his attention was on Antonio, drinking up the hatred with more pleasure than Lovina thought was healthy, she took a moment to glance down at him. While he didn't have the additional belts crisscrossing his torso, he did have several weapons on a wide belt at his waist. The sword was in his free hand, but there were two pistols and four daggers still resting there.

Not willing to take a gamble on an empty pistol, Lovina decided to settle for a dagger. Glancing up quickly to make sure his eyes were still on Antonio, she threw herself into the pirate with as much force as she was able. He only stumbled a single step, but it was enough.

Lovina yanked a dagger from its sheath, making to plunge it into his chest. Kirkland dropped his sword to catch the hand holding the dagger, and while she felt a surge of anger when he stopped it, she did note it was mere inches from his chest when he did. _So close!_

To her surprise, as he twisted his grip on her wrist as he had before, making her drop the dagger, he chuckled. Actually _chuckled_. Was he insane?

"Not bad, for a wench. Though you will have to stop this, I might get irritated. Unless of course you know where the map is."

Lovina gave him her best glower and snarled, "I burned it!"

The caterpillar-like eyebrows shot up. "Really? And how would you know this is the map I'm searching for?"

"You said the damn thing was special," snapped Lovina, heart pounding. She had no idea why she was doing this, all she knew was that she couldn't let Kirkland get that map. "I saw the _bastardo_ hide it in the cabin. I burned it to spite him. Why the hell do you think he keeps me locked up all the time?"

"I don't suppose you looked at it before you burned it?" asked Kirkland, his tone icy.

Meeting the chilled gaze head on, Lovina growled, "Of course I did. I wanted to know why it was so special, see if it was worth burning. Idiot had to keep checking it, that's how it was so easy to find."

That part was as much a lie as the rest of it. From what she could tell Antonio had the thing memorized. Not that it would fit into the story she was weaving.

Kirkland seemed to be buying it, if the irritated, angry look was any indication. Scowling darkly, he shoved her over to one of his men. "Take her on board," he snapped.

"_No se atreven_," growled Antonio.

"I'm not going to walk away empty handed again, Carriedo. Besides, if she burned your map then it's a fair trade."

"She didn't-

"Get me the hell away from him! No way you can be any worse than him! Do you have any idea what he said he'd do to me when he found out? The only reason he's keeping me around is so he can punish me."

Lovina continued rambling, wondering wildly why he was trying to protest. That map was the most important thing on this ship to him, he'd said so himself. Part of Kirkland's reputation, the part that usually got skimmed over, was he never hurt women and children. As ruthlessly as he slaughtered the men, the rest were left alone. They said the same of Antonio, and while they were enemies she was gambling he wouldn't do anything too heinous to her. She could deal with being locked up or marooned or dumped on a distant port, at least. If Kirkland really believed women were bad luck then he would be inclined to dump her as soon as possible.

Kirkland sighed, lazily drawing a pistol and pointing it at her. Once she'd clamped her mouth shut he drawled, "I don't care if you really burned it or not. Apparently you mean more to him than it, so I think I'll be taking you instead. And for pities sake stop swearing. It's not ladylike." Holstering his pistol he barked, "Get moving!" at the man holding her.

Lovina wiggled, though didn't protest against that part too much. It wouldn't go with her story if she was reluctant to leave the ship. As she was half led half shoved over to where planks lay across the stretch between the ships, Lovina took one last look over what remained of the _Delfín_ _Rojo_'s crew.

In the moment before she was shoved out of sight, Lovina caught Antonio's gaze. The anger was gone, replaced by a look of agony. There was no other word for it, that she could think of.

A heavy hand shoved her in the back, and Lovina stumbled across one of the planks, leaving Antonio behind.

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><p><strong>Perros- dogs<strong>

**Más rápido!- faster!**

**Ve! Ve! Ve!- go, go, go!**

**No se atreven- do not dare**

**Please Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Shout out to Cardfighter By Maple, Rani-Girl, Vintage Sherry, Hinotori-hime, little Miss punk rocker, and Phantom Ice!  
><strong>

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><p>The pirate who shoved Lovina onto the <em>Green Revenge<em> marched her below decks, holding her arm high and tight when she started to struggle. The hold was tight enough to be painful, and left her the option of scuttling along or being dragged. Needless to say Lovina was cursing him the whole way down to the bottom level of the ship.

Antonio had threatened her with the brig, but when she'd gone looking she hadn't found one. The _Green Revenge_, however, was a bit different. There was a section of the lowest level that had been sectioned off, and held several barred cells. The crewmen wrenched one open with a shriek of metal, shoving her in and slamming it shut again.

"Ye stay put until the captain decides to do with ye," grumbled the pirate, turning a key in the lock and stalking back towards the stairs. She could hear him grumbling as he went. "Should 'a signed on with a captain that lets us have fun..."

Lovina glowered after him, but it didn't have her usual enthusiasm. She gripped the bars, letting her forehead fall against the cool metal with a plunk. This was _not_ how she'd wanted things to go. As much as she was loath to admit it, she'd rather have stayed on the _Delfín_ _Rojo_. Besides that, what she didn't understand was why Kirkland had been so quick to believe her. Yes she'd been trying to keep him away from the map, but she'd expected to have a bit more of a challenge. It had been harder to convince Juan for pities sake. For all he knew, she could have been a-

"Hello."

She swung around, startled. Then she blinked, realizing for the first time she wasn't alone. A girl was sitting in the cell next to her, back to the wall, legs folded.

"I thought they were attacking a pirate vessel," the girl noted, a bit of confusion in her voice.

"They did," said Lovina, frowning. "Who are you?"

The girl got to her feet, dusting off her dress. It was simple, though well made, the sort of thing well-to-do ladies wore for travel. Bobbing a light curtsy, she said, "My name is Madeline. It's nice to meet you, circumstances aside."

Lovina returned the gesture out of habit. "Lovina," she said, deciding to leave her title aside for now. "Did you get captured too?"

Madeline smiled tightly, moving to sit next to the bars separating their cells. As Lovina sat across from her the girl said, "Yes, about a week ago I think. My sister and I were visiting relatives in England, at least we were supposed to be. Things were still settling down from the revolution, and mother wanted us to meet her parents before they died. We making a stop for supplies when the _Green Revenge_ attacked our vessel."

"Wait, I thought he didn't attack British ships."

"He doesn't. My sister and I are from America, but we were on a French merchant ship at the time. It was cheaper passage. That's why we went south first instead of east, they had to make a stop in the Caribbean to exchange cargo for extra supplies. The captain hates anything French, though I'm not sure why."

"So that bit of his reputation about leaving women and children is...

Madeline chuckled, which surprised Lovina. "No, that part is completely true. He had no idea we were on board. His crew found us and captured us, without mentioning it to him. They knew he wouldn't have let them otherwise. He didn't find us until that night. They were trying to...anyway Amelia managed to get in a good scream. The captain came running and shot two of them on the spot. He was absolutely furious."

"So where is your sister now, then?"

"In his cabin. He locked me up down here and took her with him. He has a fondness for her. He lets her visit me and bring me food, but she has to pay a price. It makes her mad."

When she saw Lovina's expression she shook her head quickly, blushing.

"No, nothing like that! He just makes her kiss him. As I said, he is fond of her, even after she gave him a black eye when he first found us."

"I thought you said he came to help you."

"He did, but we didn't know that at first. Amelia is the best sister I could ever ask for, but she is very...spirited. The first week we were here Arthur had to make rules for her. She has to kiss him before she can visit me, and she's not allowed to kick him, punch him, slap him, or hit him with anything afterward."

"I think I like this sister of yours," mused Lovina, admiration in her voice.

"Most people do," said Madeline with a philosophical nod.

"So you don't think anything...bad will happen while we're here?"

"No, I don't think so. Like I said, we've been here about a week, eight days I believe. I think he would have let us go at the first port we came to after he found us, but he wants to keep Amelia, and the only guarantee he has of keeping her from running off on him is to keep me here." She shrugged. "I don't like being locked in a cell, but there are defiantly worse positions to be in. I just wish she wouldn't antagonize him so much. If you don't mind my asking, why did he take you? Amelia said he was going to attack Carriedo, and he wanted some sort of map."

"He did. The map is gone so he took me instead." In a grumble she added, "Not sure why though."

"He must have thought you would hurt him more. Amelia said he was dead set on that map." She paused, and then added, "I don't usually talk this much, it's just there's no one who will listen most of the time."

Lovina started to tell her it was fine, but then the door at the top of the nearest stair banged open. She stiffened, but then frowned at the pad of bare feet stomping down. The step was light, even for a barefooted pirate.

"Unbelievable! That stupid, perverted, son of a- oh. Hello, you the girl he took from Carriedo?"

Lovina looked from Amelia, who had come to stand in front of the cells, hands on hips, to Madeline, and back again. Well, they were defiantly sisters. They even wore the same dress. There were a few differences, though. Both were about the same height with honey blond hair and lightly tanned skin. Amelia's eyes were bright blue, identical to a clear sky, while Madeline's were an interesting shade of lavender. Madeline's hair was long while Amelia's was cut fashionably short, there was also a sort of cowlick in place of Madeline's long curl...

"Amelia, this is Lovina," Madeline was saying.

Remembering she'd been asked a question, Lovina said, "Yes, he took me from Antonio. Not sure why, though."

"Artie's an idiot," said the girl, waving it off. Plopping down outside their cells she grumbled, "Honestly. Apparently now that there are two of you I have to kiss him twice if I want to come and see you."

"Is that why you're mad?" asked Madeline.

Amelia huffed, folding her arms. "That, and the jerk locked me in his cabin during all this."

Lovina was quiet.

"You still okay, Maddy?" Amelia asked worriedly, turning to her sister. "None of them got this far?"

Madeline gave her sister a sweet smile. "No. I doubt anyone would have noticed me if they did, though."

"Kirkland's crew had the upper hand most of the time, I think," said Lovina grimly, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. "The tea bastard snuck up on the tomato bastard."

Amelia giggled. "Tea bastard. I'll have to remember that one."

Madeline winced. "Amelia, don't you remember what mother said about swearing?"

"She said I'd never catch a husband," said Amelia, rolling her eyes. And, in a cheerful tone, added, "Frankly I don't give a damn."

Again, Madeline winced, but sighed. "Where did Captain Carriedo find you, Lovina? If you don't mind my asking."

"Port Diego," she said, mouth set. "They raided the whole town. One of the crew grabbed me."

"Wait, I thought the captain had you? Or did he snatch you from them?"

Lovina smiled bitterly. "_Idiota _seemed to think he was saving me. He didn't force himself on me or anything, but still."

Amelia was quite, staring down at the wooden deck. After a moment she said slowly, thoughtfully, "It was the crew that grabbed us too. Artie didn't know about us until later. They were trying to, you know."

"I already told her," said Madeline. It wasn't until now Lovina realized how soft her voice was. This fact was supported when Amelia plowed on, oblivious.

"I got one of them to take their grubby hands off my mouth and screamed for all I was worth. Arthur came down, pretty pissed we'd woke him up, but he blew his top when he saw what they were trying to do. Shot two of them then and there. Threw Maddy down here and brought me with him."

Lovina was starting to realize just how right Antonio had been on that point. One pirate crew wasn't much different from the next, but it seemed this didn't extend to the captains. It seemed he really had saved her.

"Thought he was going to finish the job, that's why I punched him." Amelia laughed a little. "He didn't appreciate it, but he didn't hit me back either. More than can be said for the rest of this crew. Said if I didn't settle down he'd toss us both back to the crew. Artie can be a controlling pervert, but that's about it."

Lovina stared down at her hands. This man was the one person Antonio considered a serious threat, the person who he and everyone else painted as a marauding monster. Yet this girl brushed him off, even referred to him as 'Artie'. Even the one who was kept locked in the brig night and day didn't seem to have a serious hatred of him.

Finally she asked in an appreciative tone, "So you're the one who gave him the black eye?"

Amelia grinned. "Yep. Listen, don't worry about getting half decent food or anything around here. He lets me bring Maddy down the good stuff, I'll see if I can't get more for you."

"Thank you," said Lovina. "How long does he plan to keep us?"

Madeline and Amelia exchanged looks. It was Amelia who said, "Unless we can escape, I think he plans to hold us indefinably. I'm not sure about you though. I think he has a soft spot for girls. He may just hang onto you to get under Carriedo's skin."

The door above them opened, and a scowling crewman stalked down the steps.

"Captain say's your time's up," he grunted.

Amelia scowled right back. "I'll be up in a minute."

"He said _now_, wench."

Amelia turned to faced him, hands on hips. "For the last time, moron, the name's _Amelia_. It's not girl, or wench, or bitch, or whatever else you sewer rats have been calling me."

The man growled, taking a step forward.

"I asked you to retrieve her, not get into a fight with her," a cool tone said from the shadows at the base of the stairs.

The crewmen's attention snapped away from the girl. "Right sir, sorry sir."

"Come along, Amelia. Unless you want to be carried out."

With one last sad look at her sister, the American stomped passed the pirates and marched up the steps. Lovina noticed she shouldered roughly passed Arthur, who watched her climb the steps with a strangely sad look in his eyes before turning to Lovina.

"Leave," he barked at the crewmen, who scuttled after Amelia. Only once he was gone did he say, "You do realize I don't believe you burned that map, don't you?"

Lovina stiffened. "Then why the hell did you...

Kirkland wandered up to the bars, studying her with an intensity she didn't appreciate. "Because more than one source led me to believe something else was of greater importance. 'Know thine enemy' is a very reliable approach, it's now I was able to finally sink that frog, Francis. It has never steered me wrong yet. It's why I had that informant aboard Carriedo's ship. I've watched him for years, lass, and in all that time he never had a true weakness. The closest I could get was that map.

"Then I get a message from my informant that he has taken a female on board, and that he intends to keep her. Carriedo is very superstitious, so you'll understand if I found this curious. I assumed he would grow bored and dump you in Tortuga."

Kirkland smiled then. It wasn't a very nice smile. Lovina fought not to shiver.

"Imagine my delight when not only did he keep you after Tortuga, but he left early and left his other ships behind. My informant, the one he had shot, insisted you were his weak point. The enemy who had always made it a point to never get attached. Admittedly I was a little dubious, but I must say I've never seen him that angry. Even when I burned that frog's fleet he never looked so furious."

"What did you do to him?" asked Lovina stiffly.

"Plenty. I let him live. I've found that continuing on is sometimes less merciful than death. You are now in my hands, his ship is burning, and very few of his crew is left alive. I think that's torment enough, for now."

Lovina stared after Kirkland as he turned, walking away from the cells. As he climbed the steps he called back, "Get comfortable. You will be here quite a while, lass."

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><p>Amelia had stalked out onto the deck and gone to stand at the starboard rail. She scowled out over the open sea, the wind tossing her short hair and ruffling her skirt. When the captain joined her on deck she was still fuming, and ignored the presence behind her until she was forced to acknowledge him.<p>

"You do realize that if I had allowed you to remain outside you would have been slaughtered? You're an easy target, and you have no means of defense."

Amelia tightened her grip on the wood. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to give me one."

Arthur chuckled. "To be perfectly honest I would rather do just that. But giving sword lessons to someone that would rather slit my throat than kiss me isn't a very good survival tactic."

"So you think by making me kiss you every damn day will make me like it better?"

"The thought did cross my mind," he said, stepping next to her.

Amelia pointingly didn't look at him. "It's not working," she said coldly. "It's just easier to tolerate. I still don't like you, and I still hate having to kiss you."

An arm snaked around her waist, pulling her to his side. Amelia struggled, but her heart wasn't in it. He was warm, he was always warm. And he never smelled all that bad, despite her complaints. He had never forced himself on her, at least not in regard to actual sex, never struck her, and made sure the crew kept their hands of both her and her twin sister.

"What would it take, then, to capture the heart of an American lioness?" he murmured in her ear.

Resisting the urge to shutter as his breath tickled her ear, Amelia set her jaw. "You could start with letting us go."

"Sorry, love. I won't do that."

"Damn it, would you stop calling me that?" she demanded sharply.

"Mmm, no. Anything else?"

"Give me your pistol and a bullet."

Now Arthur pulled away to frown at her. "Why?"

"Take a guess." Her voice was like ice, even as doubt plagued her mind. Could she really point a loaded gun at this man? She could pull a trigger in self defense, but could she do it when he was right in front of her, just staring back at her like this? What she'd told Lovina was true, he was a controlling pervert, but other than that he treated them well. Yes she'd seen him turn ruthless, particularly when it came to rival pirates, but sometimes she'd go so far as to call him _kind_.

"I see."

Without another word he turned and walked away. The side that had been pressed against him was instantly chilled when the wind blustered around her again. Trying not to shiver, Amelia went back to looking out over the water. If she looked back, she could see the ship they'd attacked, smoke rising heavily from its decks.

_ She didn't seem too angry at Carriedo, even though Arthur hates his guts,_ thought Amelia. _I wonder why. Did he treat her like Artie treats me? I'll have to ask her about that when I bring them dinner._

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><p><strong>Behold, the promised USUK! Will still have PruCan, but you're gonna have to wait just a bit longer, 'kay? :)<strong>

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Shout out to Vintage Sherry, ShadowFox197, Angy, marbot457, MiserableAnon, Angel of Literature, Rani-Girl, and Phantom Ice!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Amelia put it off until the sun as passed its noon point. Only when she knew Madeline and Lovina would definitely be hungry did she march up to Arthur. He had taken over the wheel a few hours ago, and didn't look away from the horizon as she came to stand beside him.<p>

"I want to bring them lunch," she said bluntly.

Still not looking at her, Arthur sighed. "Then do it, love."

About to protest the name out of habit, Amelia paused when it occurred to her what else he'd said. "Wait, what?" she asked, not sure she'd heard right.

"If you want to see them or bring them food you may do so. There won't be a price anymore."

Amelia frowned, but then quickly retreated before he could change his mind. It didn't make any sense, he'd always been so insistent no matter how she protested. Aside from extreme irritation when she'd initially retaliated he'd done little more than grin lecherously and lightly chide her. Why the sudden change?

The kitchens were deserted, so she had no trouble piling two plates and filling two tankards. She grabbed some hardtack and cheese to put on both, sticking an arm in the half empty apple barrel on her way out. No one questioned her as she made her way below, skirting the dosing pirate on duty at the top of the stairs.

"Hey," she said, carefully kneeling by the iron bars. After lowering her load to the floor, she slid a plate and tankard of water into each cell before sitting back on her heels.

"Why is it these damn pirates are so well fed?" grumbled Lovina, though she took the food with a nod of thanks.

"Arthur rations it, but he just tells me to help myself, so I do. I asked him why he paid so much attention to the food once. He said a well-fed crew is in good condition when you need them and less likely to mutiny."

"Makes sense," muttered the Italian around a mouthful of apple.

Madeline sighed. "She's as bad as you, Amelia. No manners and refuses to stop swearing."

Lovina ignored this, but Amelia grinned. "Great, someone else to piss off the gentlemen. I like it."

"Amelia," protested Madeline, though more from habit than anything else.

"What? It's true and you know it. Artie tries to stick me in a corset, I'm shooting his ass."

Lovina choked on her hardtack. Once she'd cleared her throat she asked, "You two were nobility?"

"Yeah, but not very high up. Mostly because our parents took the winning side in the war. You're talking to Lady Amelia and Madeline Jones. Why, didn't Maddy tell you?"

"No. It makes no difference to me, nor out situation."

"So what's your full name?" asked Amelia, cocking her head.

After a brief hesitation, she said, "Lady Lovina Vargas."

"Never heard of you, sorry," said Amelia after a moment of turning that over.

"That's because you ditched every lesson you could," Madeline informed her. "The Vargas family owns a fleet of merchant ships."

"Great, look how much good it does us now," said Amelia, rolling her eyes.

"Tell me about it," agreed Lovina. "I've never met someone who shares my opinion on being a female noble."

Amelia made a face. "Maddy was good at it, I never was."

"Because you always skipped lessons to go frolicking in one place or another," Madeline reminded her.

"It's not my fault lessons on who did what and which fork to use when was so damn boring," huffed Amelia.

"I'll admit it was a bit on the slow side-

"It put me to sleep!"

"How many times are we going to go have this argument? It isn't even an argument. I'm not the one who _made_ you do any of that."

Lovina watched the sisters go back and forth, and felt a lump form in her throat. She hadn't seen Feliciana since she'd yelled at her to run for the church. She'd made it, right? She was okay? The pirates hadn't stayed long after that point, but still. If she did make it, at least Lovina had the reluctant comfort that Ludwig would take care of her. Her sister was ditzy, enthusiastic, and sweet hearted to a fault. The German was stoic, logical, and had thus far managed to curb Feliciana's wilder streaks in a manner that didn't hurt her in the process.

She soon found that no amount of reassuring did anything to lessen the lump in the throat or the pain in her chest. Considering how much she complained about her sister, Lovina missed her dearly. And it had only been what, five days? If she was hurting she hated to think of how her emotional twin was holding up. Suddenly she felt sorry for Ludwig.

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><p>Amelia didn't go to Arthur before she brought down dinner, and either he didn't notice or he didn't care. Since she doubted it was the first one, little went on aboard the <em>Green Revenge<em> he wasn't privy to, she decided he'd been serious. Today, at least.

Still, when he came into the cabin that night she kept a wary eye on him. She was perched on the edge of the bed, brushing off her blackened feet. She'd always gone without shoes when she could, so it hadn't been an issue yet, they just looked like she'd walked across coal.

Amelia pulled her legs up onto the bed, fussing with a blanket while still keeping Arthur in her sightline. He shed hat, weapons, and boots, not seeming to notice her. The hat and it's ostrich feather were placed on the desk, as was his sword belt and all that was on it. The boots were set neatly side by side on the floor.

She had figured out within a day of being his prisoner that Arthur wasn't exactly the biggest or tallest man around. While this could be a point of delicacy for a pirate, he worked actively to counter it. What he lacked in statue he made up with being shrewd and ruthless. The boots he wore had thick soles and heels, giving him an extra or so inch in height. The hat gave him a little bit more.

That said, by the time Arthur tossed his coat over a chair he seemed to have shrunk. Amelia knew that if she stood facing him she'd be eye level with his nose at this point. Considering he went to great lengths to make up for his height every other moment of the day, he didn't seem to care if she was around when he shed the illusion he'd crafted.

Amelia laid the blanket down over herself as he came towards the bed, running a hand through his hair. It went from pressed flat to a mess within a few seconds, not that she noticed. He blew out the last lantern, and she settled herself down, closing her eyes.

They flew open seconds later when an arm snaked around her waist. Yes they'd slept in the same bed but he'd always given her space before! "What are you doing?" she protested, grabbing at his arm.

"Go to sleep, love," he said tiredly.

Amelia frowned, but gave up on prying herself free. She huffed, but closed her eyes. As soon as she did, it occurred to her actually falling asleep would be a bit difficult. Arthur was lying at her back, inches away from her. She could hear his breathing, feel the faint shift as his chest rose and feel a short distance from her back. The arm around her rested across her stomach, the hand lightly gripping her hip.

_ How does he expect me to fall asleep like this?_ she wondered incredulously.

It occurred to her that this might very well be the exchange for not having to kiss him anymore. Still...was it so bad? Besides, it wasn't like she woke up where she fell asleep as it was. It was a tendency she hadn't known existed until she'd ended up in the hands of the pirate, an embarrassing one that was now equally annoying. No matter how far away she was from him when she fell asleep, Amelia always woke up in one of two positions. Either she'd be attached to him in a manner not unlike one of those irritating island monkey's, or Arthur would be in the middle of trying to extract himself as carefully as possible. Usually the fact he'd been trying to avoid waking her didn't register until after she'd jerked away and backpedaled to the opposite side of the bed.

Amelia was still trying to figure out just why she did this when she nodded off.

* * *

><p>The next day, Lovina was jolted from sleep when the door at the top of the stairs was opened. The hinges squeaked horribly, making it impossible to 'sneak' down without the better part of the ship knowing. Groaning, she rolled onto her stomach and sat up. It had taken a while for her to fall asleep last night, and she didn't appreciate being woken up.<p>

Lovina became slightly less irritated when she saw Amelia come down, bearing food and water. Madeline was sitting up in the cell next to her, yawning. Lovina wasn't sure if she should envy the girl or not, being so used to the hard, rolling floor she slept that easily.

"'Morning," said Amelia, setting plates down outside the bars. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept," said Lovina, helping herself to the food.

Amelia plopped down outside the bars, settling her skirts absently. "So, what was it like on the _Delfín_ _Rojo__?_"

Lovina hesitated, pausing as she chewed a mouthful of cheese. Once she'd swallowed she found herself staring down at the unbitten apple. "It could have been worse. Antonio did for me what Arthur did for you, kept me in his cabin, wouldn't let the crew touch me."

Madeline, who'd given her sister a look at the blunt question, turned to study Lovina. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," she said gently.

"No, it's fine," said Lovina, slowly turning the apple. "He was an irritating bastardo, but...he was kind, kinder than a lot of people I've dealt with." Snorting, she added wryly, "Nobility is hardly worth the name if pirates hold themselves to a higher standard."

"Tell me about it," said Amelia. "Arthur used to be one too, actually. I think it's easier on men than it is on women, but even he didn't enjoy it much. That's why it was so easy to turn traitor."

"Antonio was never a noble, but he was more of a gentleman that any suitor I've ever met. Kept every promise he gave me, too. Was more patient that everyone that's had to deal with bitchy me, even _Nonno_. Gave me lots of tomatoes."

Deciding no matter how much she stared at the apple it wouldn't change into a tomato, Lovina took a bite. Not bad, but still not a tomato. It made it that much harder to ignore the voice in her head trying to convince her it wasn't just Feliciana she was worrying about, missing.

"Huh. Artie talked about him like a marauding savage," said Amelia thoughtfully.

"The feeling was mutual."

"Do you think he'll come after you?"

Both girls turned to look at Madeline when she posed the quiet question. She blushed a little, but still looked intently at Lovina. The Italian found she was uncomfortable holding that lavender gaze, returning it to the apple. There was a glaring white oval on its red skin now.

"I don't know. He shouldn't. _Bastardo_ will get himself killed if he does. Arthur only left him alive so he could suffer."

"One minute he's being a gentlemen and the next he's being a total bastard," grumbled Amelia. Louder she said, "I'm really sorry it happened like that. He's not always...

"Neither was Antonio."

* * *

><p>That night, Amelia lay down on the far side of the bed as she always did, her back to Arthur as he joined her. Like the night before an arm wrapped around her waist, only this time it pulled her back against him. Amelia didn't even bother wiggling, just sighed and let him do it. As she stared blankly at the darkness, she was surprised when he rested his forehead against her hair.<p>

"If you got the chance, would you run from me, love?"

"Probably," she said honestly.

In a lower voice he asked, "Would you come back?"

Amelia was quite. Finally she said, "I don't know."

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Shout out to Cardfighter By Maple, Rani-Girl, IvyTheKitty, and Vintage Sherry!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Amelia was pacing around the cabin the next afternoon after dropping food off in the brig. She'd run through every wild escape plan, every option she could think of. Then after Lovina had admitted to her failed escape attempt, Amelia had revised several of her favorite plans.<p>

There was one that had the best chance of success. The only problem with it was that she couldn't let either of the others in on it, especially not Madeline. Amelia's favorite stories growing up, the ones she'd begged their nurse for the most, were tails of heroes and heroines. She'd always craved the chance to do something heroic, to save people and make things better. It had been her dearest wish for so long, and now that she had the chance she wasn't about to let it slip away.

_Maddy won't like it,_ thought Amelia, her pace slowing. _I can't ask her, I'll have to tell her. At the last possible minute._

It was something she'd been wrestling with since that morning. After several hours of pacing and muttering to herself, Amelia had come to the conclusion that she did, in fact, like Arthur. She hadn't enjoyed keeping up pretenses for potential suitors back home, and so had ditched them as soon as their parents had left them alone. Usually an hour or so of Amelia being Amelia was enough to send them packing. She talked, she laughed loudly, swore like a proud sailor, belched, ditches her shoes, and beat them in horse races. None of the above suited them very well.

Amelia had done all that and more when Arthur had captured her. He had yet to see her act like the lady she was supposed to be. Not only did he not seem to mind, the man actually seemed to _enjoy_ it. She'd won ten of their twelve chess games, and he hadn't thrown a fit or flipped the board on her like one particularly bratty lord had. When he wasn't been a grabby lecher and they had a half-decent conversation, he listened to her so she had felt inclined to return the favor. Aside from other girls, like her sister and Lovina, she hadn't had that long a conversation with anyone, ever. Not only that, but she'd found herself enjoying it.

Physically she had the least amount of complaints. Amelia had, reluctantly, included that into her decision making. Even though he didn't like his own short stature she didn't mind. She found him handsome, not that she'd ever tell him that, and his oversized eyebrows were downright adorable. The few times she hadn't been in the mood to make herself board-stiff, she had reluctantly admitted he wasn't that bad a kisser. He was gentle with her, if occasionally grabby.

As much as she hated to admit it, the only real problem Amelia had with Arthur was that he was a pirate. As a general rule, this meant he stole and killed for a living. She could live with being on a ship most of the time, in fact sailing to see the world sounded like a dream to her. It was the pirating bit she didn't like. She preferred it to the British Navy, but still. It was hardly like he could go back with such a price on his head.

_Maybe I could do something about it, _she thought wearily. _There's gotta be something. I'm a heroine, I'll figure something out._

Taking a deep breath, Amelia squared her shoulders and strode out of the cabin. She climbed up to the helm where Arthur was checking the horizon with a spyglass. Not waiting for him to give her his attention she demanded, "Where are we?"

The pirate lowered the bronze device, frowning at her. "What?"

"Where are we?" she repeated. "How far from the next friendly port?"

"A day's sail. We need to restock on supplies and I need to unload these mercenaries. You wouldn't believe how much they eat. Why?"

"Maddy and Lovina are getting off with them. You're going to let them go and you're not going to hunt them down afterward."

Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "Why the bloody hell would I do that?"

"Because I'm going to make a deal with you. If you let them go, you have my word I'll stay. I won't try to run, I won't fight you. I'll be your wife and do whatever being a pirate's wife entails."

For a long minute Arthur just stared at her. Amelia wasn't sure if the look on his face was surprise or interest or both. She was about to demand he stop whichever it was when he finally spoke.

"I think the wedding can wait a bit, love. But tell me, why should I believe you? What is keeping you from running the moment your sister had her freedom?"

Amelia drew herself up to her full height. "A heroine doesn't go back on her word."

Arthur regarded her, asking, "You've been on this ship for eight days. Why are you just now making this offer?"

"It was bad enough it was just me and Maddy. If Lovina sticks around bad things are going to happen to her. Admit it, Artie, if Carriedo doesn't come after her you're going to get drunk and do something messed up."

The pirate arched his brows at this. Amelia had only seen him drunk once, and that was enough. Their first night in Tortuga, he'd stumbled into the cabin so drunk he couldn't walk a straight line. He hadn't been speaking coherently, but apparently he'd come back with the notion the cabin was now his privet _bordello_. Fortunately he was easy to avoid in that state, and Amelia had been able to knock him out with a paperweight before he'd done more than grab a handful of her backside.

No, it wasn't the idea he'd do something to Lovina if he got drunk, Amelia knew that much. Even he admitted he couldn't hold his liquor. This was confirmed when he asked, "What makes you think he will?"

"Because she is to him what I am to you. That is why you took her, isn't it? At least if she's not on board anymore it'll be easier to get rid of him when he finds us."

Arthur seemed to consider this. "Not a bad strategy, though I was under the impression you hated criminals. Forgive me if I doubt you will be content living as the bride of one. There is also the small matter of the British Navy trying to get a noose around my neck."

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. No, I don't like criminals very much, but sometimes they're better than nobles. I like my freedom, and if given the choice between marrying some noble bastard and a pirate bastard, I think I'd go with the pirate. At least if he gets to be too much I can slit his throat and take over his ship. If nothing else it should be more fun."

To Amelia's surprise, Arthur threw his head back and laughed. It wasn't the crazy laugh she'd heard that time some idiot privateer thought they'd take him on, or the chilling one that had sent chills up her spine when they were closing in on Carriedo. It was a genuine, full laugh without a trace of questionable sanity or sadistic delight.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, fists on hips.

Still chuckling, a grin stretching his face, Arthur answered, "You are, love. Considering you told me just yesterday you wanted to shoot me, this is quite a turn around. Either you were bluffing or something finally worked."

"Nothing worked," she protested.

"Is that so? Then what?"

Amelia decided she was tired of arguing. What she'd said was true enough, given the choice between the suitors her parents had presented her with and Arthur, the pirate really was preferable. Besides, she'd heard stories of women who'd done just what she'd said, taking over their husbands businesses or crew's when they were killed or died. If anything the fact she had been the one to kill Arthur would be a boon when faced with his crew. She'd been aboard long enough to know that much. They were as ruthless as he was, only less smart and with fewer morals.

Deciding to just take the plunge, Amelia grabbed the pirate by the lapels of his long coat and yanked him close. As soon as the distance was short enough, she planted a kiss squarely on his mouth. Amelia's eyes were shut the moment she sure of her aim, deciding to try and enjoy it for the first time. Arthur's surprise didn't last long, and even as he reacted enthusiastically Amelia felt him grip her by the arms gently.

Amelia didn't deny she'd refused to even consider enjoying the kisses before. Now, she found, they weren't so bad. She was out of breath when Arthur pulled away, gasping a little as she opened her eyes.

Eyes burning, Arthur asked in a slightly husky voice, "I take it all that protesting was on principle?"

"Do we have a deal or not?" she demanded tartly, though she didn't pull away. Now that she was letting herself enjoy these things, she found there was a lot to enjoy. Maybe she could work on getting him into a less illegal line of work later. A heroine had to prioritize. Sister and friend first, the world later. She really did think getting the infamous Arthur Kirkland off the pirating craze would be saving the world, or at least part of it.

"When we leave port they won't be on board. Though I have to wonder if your sister will appreciate it."

"She won't. I was kinda hoping she wouldn't have a choice in the matter."

The pirate arched an eyebrow. "That would be a first."

Ignoring this, she said, "I want sword lessons and I want a new wardrobe. Something that looks like a pirate and not...boring. And I want a hat, something blue, but with a smaller feather."

Arthur chuckled. "You're surprisingly enthusiastic, not that I'm complaining."

"Hey, if you're gonna do something, do it right. Don't half ass it. I'm serious about the hat. No corsets, either."

"Certainly not. If you're going to fight it would be counterproductive to have you fainting after every stroke. I don't suppose you'd be opposed to trousers of some kind? If you don't I understand-

Amelia squealed in delight, bouncing up and down before thoughtlessly throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Artie! No one ever let me wear breeches before!"

"Can't breathe, love," wheezed Arthur, trying to pry her arms from his neck. When she stepped back though, bouncing in place, there was a crooked smile on his face.

"Pants, pants, I get to wear pants," hummed Amelia, all but bouncing back towards the main deck. But when she reached the top of the short steps she sobered, turning to look back at him. "Don't tell them, alright? Maddie won't go if she finds out."

"It's not like I go down there every day," Arthur pointed out, shrugging. "The deal is made, love, do not worry."

Satisfied, Amelia went to get them their lunch.

* * *

><p>Lovina knew something was up. She only knew this because Madeline had been frowning after her sister when Amelia left. Then there was the fact the American hadn't stayed to chat as she usually did.<p>

Once she was gone Lovina asked, "What's wrong?"

Madeline tore her eyes away from the stairs, still frowning. "I don't know. Something was...different."

Lovina frowned. "What was it?"

"I'm not sure," said Madeline, and then shook it off. "It's probably nothing. She's probably just cooking up some harebrained escape plan. Did you know the first day we were here she was convinced we could ride a pod of dolphins to land?"

Lovina considered it, and then realized it _did_ sound like something Amelia would cook up. When one person did most of the chattering, it didn't take long to figure out how their mind worked. "Feh, think she'll come up with something that would actually work?"

Madeline paled. "I almost wish she wouldn't."

"Why not? The sooner we get out of here the better."

"Because knowing her she'll try to be the hero and not get out herself," snapped Madeline. Then she closed her eyes, taking a calming breath. "Sorry. Can we please talk about something else?"

Lovina thought for a moment. "I think you were telling me how to make maple syrup before she showed up."

* * *

><p>Amelia soon found she liked catching Arthur off guard. It was adorable, in her opinion, how a man who had irked her to no end with lecherous behavior became a cautious gentlemen when she casually sprawled out half over him that night. Never one to find a normal sleeping position comfortable, Amelia usually woke up more comfortable than when she'd fallen asleep. Embracing it, she settled herself half on top of him, head on his chest and one arm flung over his shoulder her hand rested on a pillow. She paused, knowing she usually had one leg tucked up higher than the other. Deciding to do it if for no other reason than to fluster him farther, she stretched her lower body out to the side and moved her knee up until she hit Arthur's hip.<p>

"Uh, Amelia? What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable. It's not like I don't end up this way anyhow." Settling herself down, Amelia closed her eyes. Her lips twitched upward in satisfaction when she heard just how fast his heart was beating.

Rather than protest, though, he simply settled a hand on her upper back, between her shoulder blades, and left it at that.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Amelia found herself in an even more compromising position that when she'd fallen asleep. She was now completely on top of Arthur, her new pillow being his collar bone. While it wasn't the best pillow she'd ever had, it wasn't completely uncomfortable either. One hand was tucked under her chin, the other thrown out to the side. After a moment she decided both legs were on one side of her oversized pillow, at least.<p>

Then she noticed what it was that had woken her. Arthur was awake, but he wasn't extracting himself like he had in the past. Rather he had apparently opted to stay put and wait on her to wake up. Amelia decided he must have been waiting long enough for him to get uncomfortable, because he was idly stroking her hair. It felt nice, but it was enough to bring her back to the land of the living.

"'Morning," he chuckled, apparently noticing her open eyes.

Amelia closed them again, grunting in response.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to get off me now."

She sighed, but reluctantly rolled off the pirate. Stretching all four limbs, Amelia yawned and asked, "So what's this port you'll be stopping at?"

"New Madrid. It's not very aptly named, they never got it as thriving as they'd hoped. As long as we cause no trouble and do honest business they don't mind us."

"When should we get there?"

"Tonight, I think. Why?"

Amelia chewed her lip. "Can you do it at the last minute?"

Arthur was quiet for a moment, and then a hand settled over hers. "Of course, love."

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Shout out to IvyTheKitty, Rani-Girl, ZanyAnimeGirl, Phantom Ice, Doodle0505, little Miss punk rocker, and Angy!**

**This chapter was supposed to be a little longer, as I've noticed they've been getting shorter, and I think it worked :) Also I've gotten a few requests regarding how the other characters I've mentioned are doing. Thy humble writer lives to serve and _loves_ to please! (Seriously though, it was a good idea and contributed to the plot. Thanks guys!)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Amelia had never been a good liar, but she tried hard to steer clear of anything pertaining to what she was planning. She also couldn't leave early simply to avoid Madeline, who would no doubt be the first to figure things out, not that she wanted to. It might be a while before she saw her sister again, and Amelia wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.<p>

Frankly Amelia was glad she only had to wait a day. According to Arthur they would make port in the early morning, and he only planned to stay twenty-four hours. Long enough to dump the mercenaries, pay them, and restock on their rapidly depleting stores.

As a result, Amelia was torn between spending as much time as she could in the brig, and avoiding anything remotely close to anything having to do with her plan. She soon found it to be a finer line to walk than she had anticipated. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, Amelia found herself getting Lovina to talk a good bit. It wasn't that hard, if you knew which topics to broach.

"He wouldn't even admit it, either!" she was fuming. After it was established some level of irritation was Lovina's normal state, the sisters found she had a number of good stories to tell. Their latest conversation involved Lovina and Amelia trading stories on potential suitors they had 'humiliated'.

"Even when everyone saw it, too. His parents, and Feli, and _Nonno_, and half the guard. His excuse for not courting me after that was I wasn't well bred enough. Bastard just couldn't swallow getting beat in a horse race by a lady. My _P__rincipessa_ was better than that old nag, and he had the nerve to call _her_ a bastard. I still can't believe _Nonno_ made me apologize for hitting him. I didn't even break anything, just got his lip bloody."

Amelia giggled. "Yeah, they never liked me beating them in a horse race, either. Or any race, for that matter. Hey Maddy, remember that one guy I drunk under the table?"

Madeline rolled her eyes. "The one that bragged about being able to hold his drink once our parents left the room? A regular alehouse would have done, Amelia. You didn't have to open father's liquor cabinet."

"Maybe, but it was totally worth it to see the look on his face," said Amelia, sharing a devilish grin with Lovina.

"I don't suppose he was a talkative drunk?" asked the Italian.

"Oh, he was," said Madeline, blushing.

"His mother fainted," cackled Amelia. "And she did it before he even got to the good stuff, too."

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't repeat any of that," her sister informed her.

"Aw, but it was really funny," pouted Amelia. "What if I skip over the bad words?"

"No."

"You're no fun."

"One of us has to be. It's certainly not going to be you. For a heroine you certainly get into a lot of trouble."

"I get bored," complained Amelia.

Turning to Lovina, Madeline said, "It would seem my sister has the attention span of a toddler."

Lovina grinned. "My sister's the same way. Only difference is she's cleaner about it."

"Consider yourself lucky, then."

"I'll trade you."

"Would you?" asked Madeline, face lighting up with overenthusiastic hope.

And so it went. Amelia was quite pleased with herself. Normally she was horrible when it came to keeping secrets. There was still a sense of guilt lingering in the back of her mind, though. It didn't go away, no matter how much she tried to convince herself she as doing this for their own good, to be a heroine. That irritating little voice kept poking at her, wondering if she wasn't betraying her sister by going behind her back like this.

_No, it's for her own good, _Amelia told herself grimly. _She'll...thank me later. If I can talk Arthur into making a later. I hope he will. He will, right? Even if he doesn't want to, I can talk him into it._

That was one bit she was looking forward to exploring. While displeased with her antics, their mother had also been the one to explain to them the real dynamics of the household. While the husband was the head of the house, it was usually under the great influence of the wife. As the wife, she was supposed to advise and aid as much as she was supposed to support and serve. More than one occasion had arisen where their parents had sent them to bed, supposedly dead set on a decision, only to announce a change of mind the next morning. Amelia was starting to get an idea of how her mother had gone about doing this, and while she shuddered to think about it in even mild detail, she was curious to see if she had the same...ability. Arthur had already shown he was willing to listen to her and take what she said into account. The idea held promise, to say the least.

"Amelia?"

"Mmm?" she asked, snapping back to reality.

"Do you know when we're going to make port again?" asked Lovina, face grim, voice lowered. "What kind of port it's going to be? The sooner we get off this tub the better."

"Eh, no, he hasn't said," said Amelia, realizing even as she did she'd made a mistake. She wasn't prepared for the question, so her answer had come too quickly, too nervously.

Madeline's face snapped into a frown. "Amelia."

"He said he was going to a small pirate port, all right? Nothing big, and not a place where a escape would be a smart idea. Remember Tortuga?"

Lovina grimaced. "Fine."

"I'll get you out of here soon enough, don't worry," Amelia assured them, flashing a slightly forced smile.

"Amelia, what are you planning?" Madeline deadpanned.

"Nothing," she said, a little too quickly.

"I know when you're lying. Whatever it is, you're not doing it. I won't let you."

Amelia usually couldn't meet her sisters eyes whenever Madeline called her out. This time she had no such difficulties. She wondered vaguely if it was because she was growing up or because she was in the right for a change. "It's already done, Maddy."

"What did you do?" demanded her twin, getting to her feet.

Amelia also stood, drawing herself up to her full height. There was only a very slight difference in their heights, but she didn't care. "I made a deal. A heroine never goes back on her word. You're getting off this ship, both of you. I don't want you to be stuck in a cell for the rest of your life, Maddy." Turning to Lovina she added, "He get's dangerous when he's drunk. If you stay too long something bad is going to happen to you."

Lovina's face was tight, but it seemed she was letting Madeline do the protesting. The normally quite girl was glaring through the bars at her sister, lavender eyes blazing. "At least tell us what sort of deal you made. Don't tell me you sold yourself to that dirty scoundrel."

Okay, it was one thing to attack her, but Amelia found she didn't like it when her sister turned on Arthur. Bristling slightly, she protested, "He's not that bad. Well, except for the pirate part. He treats me better than any suitor our parents ever threw at me, anyway."

"He's a _pirate_," hissed Madeline, furious. "How can you say that?"

"I told you, he's not that bad. I think if I stay with him long enough I can get him to stop, maybe switch to merchanting or something."

"That's not a word," snapped Madeline automatically.

"He's already a little better. He's letting both of you go, isn't he? Even though Lovina belonged to Antonio."

Lovina's protest of "Hey!" went unheard.

"Think of the things he's done, the lives he's taken. You can't fix everything, Amelia."

"I can try, can't I? Even if I can't, I think I can be happy here, Maddy. Sure home was nice, but it wasn't going to last."

"Neither will this, not if he gets caught. If he hangs you hang with him."

"Better dead than married to some bastard only wants me to warm his bed and pop out babies."

"Is that honestly what you think?"

"You weren't any happier than I was about it."

"I wouldn't prefer death over it!"

"Would you?"

"I know I wouldn't."

"No, I mean would you? If you found a pirate who treated you like Artie treats me, would you stay?"

Madeline was still glowering through the bars. "I'm not so stupid as to fall in love with a criminal."

"It's not something you try to do."

Both sisters turned to stare at Lovina, who had been watching the argument in uncustomary silence. The Italian was staring hard at the floor, fists clinched in her skirts. Without looking at either of them she said in a low voice, "The heart is an idiot. It doesn't do what it should. If it did, wouldn't we be happy with nice, normal bastard husbands instead of pirates?"

Until that point, Amelia had never put a label on just what emotions she had in regards to Arthur. When Madeline said it though, and now Lovina, she couldn't find a word that fit better. It didn't feel perfect yet, but it felt close, very close.

**BREAK\BREAK/BREAK**

Ludwig sat carefully on a bench in the courtyard of the Vargas's main house. Beside him sat Feliciana, shoulders slumping, back hunched as she gloomily stroked the cat curled up and purring in her lap. He wasn't good with these sorts of things, and while he knew his fiancé was completely aware of this, the German felt he owed her a few occasions where he was able to say the right things.

"All the surrounding ports have been put on alert. As soon as there's a sighting we'll know. Carriedo won't get far."

Feliciana sniffed. Only pure willpower kept Ludwig from cringing. So far only one time in three his attempts to make her stop crying ever worked to date. Wild swings from pouting to excitement he could handle, but he still felt out of his depth with tears.

"I'm sorry," she said, sniffing again. Lifting a hand, she carefully wiped the moister under her eyes. "I'm being silly, aren't I? Crying when we don't know if...don't know anything yet."

"She is your sister, and you two were very close," said Ludwig stiffly. "I don't think it's silly."

Feliciana lifted her head, giving him a watery smile. Her eyes were still red, her pale face devoid of makeup. It wasn't like she used a lot anyway, but Feliciana had been forgoing it these days so it wouldn't get smeared when she cried.

"You're not mad about the wedding?"

Ludwig shook his head. "No matter how many times you ask me that my answer will not change, Feli. Besides, it's not like there were a lot of people coming."

"Keeping it to a small number was a good idea. I'm glad I listened."

It was as much because of empathy as it was he didn't want her miserable when they got married that Ludwig had agreed to put it off. Feliciana was insistent that they not go through with it until Lovina was back. When they'd first realized Lovina hadn't made it to the church, Feliciana had been inconsolable, insisting it was her fault for not dragging her sister with her. Ludwig had only recently managed to convince her otherwise, and that was when she'd asked him to postpone the wedding.

"She won't be mad about the garden, right?" asked Feliciana worriedly. "I'm taking good care of it, like mama taught us, but she always told me never to touch it."

Ludwig sighed. He opened his mouth to tell her for the fourth time that day to say that he doubted Lovina would mind her keeping the precious tomato garden alive, but he never got the chance. Before he could, the guards scattered from their posts at the open gate, a white horse barreling through.

In a heartbeat Ludwig was on his feet, sword drawn, keeping Feliciana behind him. "Get inside, now," he snapped.

Feliciana stood up, shoot out her skirts, and propped her hands on her hips. "The last time I ran I lost my sister, Luddy. I'm not running this time."

Ludwig wanted to groan. Of all the times for her to-

_"Kesesesese!"_

The German froze, his eyes widening. It had been years, but he knew that laugh. No one laughed like...

The white horse was reined mere feet from him, but Ludwig didn't flinch. He stared as the rider dismounted lightly, a grin on his face. "The awesome wedding crasher has arrived! I'm not late, am I?"

Ludwig was frozen in place, eyes widening. Feliciana tugged on his sleeve, asking, "Who is this, Luddy?"

Gilbert looked at her for a minute, and then back up at Ludwig. "Are you sure _you're_ my _bruder_?" he asked, laughing. "Well, I guess if they're sisters that makes you Ludwig. You've grown, West."

"Gilbert?" asked Ludwig, slowly lowering his sword. "It's been six years. Six years. We only heard tales of you becoming a pirate, nothing else. Why are you back now?"

The albino sobered. Taking off his tri-pointed hat and pressing it to his chest, he directed an elegant bow towards Feliciana. "A little birdie told me you were getting married, West." Straightening and returning the hat to his head, he continued, "I only left because of our father, it never had anything to do with you. What kind of _bruder_ would I be to miss your wedding?"

Feliciana darted around an unmoving Ludwig to get in Gilbert's face, eyes wide with hope. "Who told you? Have you seen my sister? The stories were right, weren't they? You're friends with the pirate who took her?"

Gilbert took a step back, as all these questions were said in one breath in a very short period of time. "_Ja, ja,_ Toni and the Awesome me are _freunde_. I passed his ships a few days ago, stopped to say 'hi' because I'm awesome that way. It's a good thing, too."

"Did you see her, my sister?"

When Gilbert nodded, still eyeing Feliciana as though she might decide to attack him with words again, Ludwig sheathed his sword to put a hand on her shoulder. Rather than settle down, she turned and attached herself to his side as she asked, "Was she alright? He wasn't hurting her?"

The grin that had spread across Gilbert's face at his brother's blush vanished. "Antonio? _Nein_, he never hearts girls. Neither of us do. It's very unawesome."

Feliciana sagged in relief. Ludwig put an arm around her shoulders, as much for comfort as to make sure she wouldn't fall over. After a moment he asked, "Could you find him again?"

"Don't you remember, West? The Awesome me can do anything I want to."

Ludwig met his brothers eyes. It occurred to Gilbert then just how much his little brother had grown up. Not only was he taller and bigger than him, but it seemed he was also now the more mature of the two.

"I don't know what you've been up to, _bruder_, nor do I want to," he said grimly. "Is the only reason you came back because you heard I was getting married?"

"_Ja_. If I stay any longer our own father will hang me."

"He won't."

Gilbert frowned. "_Was?_"

"Find Antonio and bring Lovina back. Consider it a wedding gift. I'll speak with _Vater_."

The albino looked genuinely surprised. "You're not going to kick me out or put me in prison?"

"_Nein_."

"You're not mad at the Awesome me? It's hard to do, but you're awesome enough I actually care."

Ludwig sighed. "I am not happy you disappeared for six years. I'm not happy you're a pirate. But you're still my _bruder_, East. Leave the authorities to me. Just bring Lovina back."

Gilbert considered this. "It's a good thing you're sending the Awesome me. Someone less awesome might have a harder time talking Toni into bringing her back for a visit so soon."

"No, not for visit, to stay," protested Feliciana. "He can't keep her."

"He can if he wants to, and I think he wants to."

Ludwig frowned. "Explain."

"Every sailor knows a woman on board is bad luck, Luddy. Antonio is very superstitious, so he never brings a woman on board for any reason. When I saw him, he wasn't about to give up your sister-in-law. I called her cute, and he threatened to throw me overboard. He never threatens me unless he means it, I'm too awesome."

"Will you do it or not?" asked Ludwig stiffly. "We can work out the details later."

"The Awesome me will do it. A sister is an awesome wedding present, _ja?_"

"_Gud_. I'm coming with you."

"_Nein_, you are not."

"Gilbert-

"I can find her and bring her back, West. Antonio will listen to me, he recognizes my awesomeness. If you're there, I don't think he will listen as much. Trust me."

Ludwig hesitated.

"If women are bad luck, does that mean I can't come either?"

"_Nein_," said the brothers in unison.

Gilbert stomped back over to his horse. "Neither of you are coming! I might be awesome but I'm not the most dangerous thing out there. Some people don't like my awesomeness, and it will be harder to find your sister if I'm worrying about you two." Putting one boot in the stirrup, he mounted the horse and swung it's head back towards the gate in one fluid motion. "I'll be back in a few weeks. Toni planned on staying in the Caribbean for raiding session, so there's not too many places he could be. Don't get married without us!"

With that he put his heels to the stallion, urging it to a brisk gallop. As he road back through the main gate Feliciana looked up at Ludwig.

"Do you think he'll really bring her back?"

Ludwig watched his brother disappear from sight, mouth grim. "Gilbert is reckless and rude and a little delusional, but he's never broken a promise to me." Lips twitching slightly he explained, "He says it's unawesome to lie. If he says he'll bring Lovina back, he will."

"I still wish he'd let us come with him," pouted Feliciana.

As much as Ludwig wanted to go with Gilbert, he wanted his fiancé to stay put even more. It was why he hadn't pushed the matter. Now, though, that left him for the easer-said-than-done task of talking their father into not bringing the law down on Gilbert. He tried not to wince at the thought.

**BREAK\BREAK/BREAK**

The _Cuervo de Advertencia_ made port four days after it had left. The _Muerte Alada_ wasn't far behind it. If anyone in Tortuga wondered why they had returned so quickly, or why they were without the _Delfín_ _Rojo_, no one said anything. They knew better. Besides, it wasn't the first time a pirate had lost a ship. It wasn't the first time Antonio had lost one of his, either.

As the crew made their way down the gangplank, Antonio pulled aside the captain of the _Cuervo de Advertencia_. It was a smaller, sleeker vessel he'd often used to scout out targets for raids. As such, it was captained by a man he put as much trust in as he did Gilbert or Francis.

"Take what's left of the last take, buy up as much ammunition and gunpowder as you can get your hands on," he ordered Fernandez. "Use every contact you have. We leave as soon as we can afford to."

"Aye sir," said Fernandez, bobbing his head. "But what about the men we lost?"

"Leave that to me. We've lost enough ground. I won't lose more than we have to," said Antonio coldly, turning to follow the crew onto the dock.

Fernandez watched him go, mouth grim. He'd never seen their fleet captain so grim when they made port before. One of the first men to sign on with the Spaniard years ago, he was one of the few to watch the man go from a battle-skittish lad to a hardened pirate. For five years, he could count on one hand the things Antonio cared about. Gilbert, Francis, his map, his ships, and gold. He'd heard of the female they'd taken in Port Diego, but he hadn't believed it.

They'd caught up to what was left of the_Delfín_ _Rojo_ a day after it had gone down. What remained of the crew was waiting in life boats and clinging to floating wreckage. Fernandez remembered reaching down to help their captain onto the main deck of his ship, steadying him when he stumbled wearily. He'd quickly removed his hands when Antonio had slowly lifted his face, actually taking a step back. Captain Carriedo was pale, clothes streaked with blood that wasn't his own, which wasn't unusual after a battle. The burning hatred and outrage in his normally cheerful eyes was what had caught the captain off guard.

Fisting a hand in the man's shirt, Antonio yanked him a step closer so he could growl in a rasping voice, "Get us back to Tortuga as fast as the sea allows. We run from Kirkland no more. I don't care who wants his head, no one is taking it but me." Giving Fernandez a shove he barked, "Now!"

Fernandez knew that the soul reason Antonio hadn't ordered them after Kirkland then and there was because they had half a crew of unarmed men. However long they spent adrift, it was long enough for Antonio to process the initial outrage and reach a logical thought process. If he was going to take the offensive against Kirkland, he needed all the fighting men and weapons he could get.

Shaking his head, Fernandez made his way briskly into the port. _This is why women are bad luck. It's in the middle of raiding season, and he wants to go on a crusade against one of the most ruthless pirates in the Caribbean. She could be dead for all we know._

Not that he spoke any of this allowed. Fernandez was no fool, and he didn't have a death wish. Kirkland might have a bigger reputation, but that meant little when Antonio was angry. It wasn't Kirkland who cut things off to make men talk, or utilized unpleasant methods to dispose of traitors. Old Haman had been lucky, Antonio hadn't had time to kill him slowly. The last informant they'd found had been dumped overboard in a shark breeding ground. His hands, feet, and tongue had been thrown in after him.

Suddenly Fernandez found himself pitying Kirkland.

* * *

><p><strong><em>P<em>_rincipessa_ - princess**

**_freunde_- friends**

**_was_- what**

**_Vater_- father**

**gud- good**

**[]**

**It occurred to me as I was flipping through past chapters to make sure I was getting their ages right that this might be helpful:**

**Gilbert- twenty-one**

**Ludwig- eighteen**

**Lovina & Feliciana- eighteen**

**Antonio- nineteen**

**Amelia & Madeline- nineteen**

**Arthur- twenty-one**

**Just a thought for my fellow detail Nazi's :P**

**Please Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Shout out to little Miss punk rocker, MiseraleAnon, Phantom Ice, QuintessentiallyEccentric, Mei and Mickey!**

**To Confused Guest- yep, typo. 'heart' was meant to be 'hurt'. My bad. XP I've gone back over a few of my old chapters and noticed a few mistakes. I do my own editing so I guess a few things tend to slip through the cracks.**

**Happy Birthday MiserableAnon!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Madeline was sitting with her back to the wall of the ship, lips pressed into a grim line. They had docked several hours ago, when it was still dark. Now the sun was starting to rise, and she had been re-woken to the clump of boots as Lovina paced the length of her small cell.<p>

It had taken a little while, but she was resigned to her fate, for the moment. No one knew Amelia better than her. Whether she liked it or not her sister's hero complex had reared its, her opinion, ugly head. Her twin could put a mule to shame when she got her mind set on something, and though Madeline was loath to admit it, it did make sense to get Lovina off the ship.

That was why she didn't understand why Lovina looked so nervous. They'd gotten along, but she didn't think they were close enough for the Italian to be so worried. Considering the two acknowledged themselves to be "Birds of a feather!", as declared by Amelia, she would have thought Lovina would be confidant the American could handle herself.

When the constant pacing was starting to get a little irritating, though, Madeline spoke up. In a soft voice she asked, "What's wrong?"

Lovina glanced at her sharply, as though having forgotten she was there. "I'm worried about the mess that tea bastard got himself into."

Madeline chuckled. "Amelia's not going to always give him a hard time. She can be really sweet-

"No, not with her, with Antonio. If the tea bastard was right about him, then he's going to come looking for me. If he does that, I don't want Amelia caught in the middle."

"You think he'd hurt her?" asked Madeline, sitting up.

"No! Well, I don't think so." Lovina stopped, taking off her head cloth to run he fingers through her hair. "When he gets mad he can be unpredictable, all right? I don't care what happens to Kirkland, but if Amelia cares about him I don't think she'll be happy if Antonio does something to either of them. If I'm not here, there's no telling what he'll do."

Slowly, Madeline got to her feet. "What are you saying? It would be better to stay?"

"No. Yes. I don't know!" snapped Lovina, roughly tying the cloth back into place. "Kirkland can tell Antonio I'm alive and well all he wants, but I don't think he will listen."

Madeline chewed her lip for a moment. "So...make him listen."

Lovina glared at her. "How the hell can I do that if I'm not even here?"

Madeline smiled.

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

The next morning, Arthur stood by the gangplank, watching as Amelia said her goodbyes to her sister. Having never had a good relationship with his own brothers, he couldn't really sympathize, but he did grasp just how much Madeline meant to Amelia.

The slight Italian stood off to the side, arms folded as she waited. He was surprised she didn't take off the moment it was clear she was free to go, but it seemed the two planned on sticking together. It was just as well. Even in one of the more pleasant ports, there could be dangers to women traveling alone.

Amelia finally pulled away, turning to come back up the gangplank. The Italian darted forward suddenly, and Arthur stiffened as she grabbed Amelia's arm. His eyes narrowed as she turned, Lovina talking rapidly in a lowered voice. Amelia didn't pull away, didn't take off, rather she listened and then nodded.

Lovina released her, face grim. Amelia climbed up the gangplank, and Arthur gave the signal to raise it as soon as she was on board. When she came to stand next to him at the bulwark he put an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. She let him without a single grumble, actually leaning into him a little. Not for the first time he marveled how quickly she'd gone from apparent hatred to this. To be honest he'd given up trying to understand it, simply chalking it up to female oddities and enjoying the results.

The _Green Revenge_ pulled away from the dock, and the Italian dragged Madeline away from the water's edge. Amelia watched, lifting a hand in a final farewell as the vessel slowly turned. When Arthur studied her, he noticed she was biting her lips together so tight they were white, eyes glinting with unshed tears.

Pressing his lips to her cheek in a brief kiss, he told her in a low voice, "They'll be fine, love. I wouldn't have left them here otherwise. There's plenty of decent places where they can find work, and most of them are run by women themselves." With a wry smile, he added, "A rolling pin or frying pan can do wonders to maintain order in the right hands."

Amelia gave a tight smile. "They'll be fine. But I wanna visit Maddy sometime, got it?"

"Mmm, in time. Now tell me, what was that about, with the Italian?"

Smile widening, Amelia said, "She was covering your ass."

When Arthur frowned at her, she just gave his cheek a peck and pulled away. "Come on, you promised me sword lessons, didn't ya?"

"That I did," he agreed, watching her all but dance to the middle of the deck.

Spinning on the balls of her feet to look back at him, skirt twirling around her legs, she said brightly, "So teach me!"

Arthur took his time coming across the deck to join her. He looked her over from top to toe as he did, not minding that she propped her fists on her hips and glared at him when she noticed. Lips twitching upward he mused, "We still have enough to go to one more port before we need to go on another raid. I don't suppose you've heard of Port Bangkok?"

"Nope. Never was very good at geography, Arthur. Besides, I never thought I'd get near this place."

The pirate took a moment to appreciate she'd remembered their agreement on calling him Arthur around the crew. He'd actually grown fond of the names she called him, Artie and Iggy, when they weren't said with intent to mock. Only in privet, though. The moment his crew stopped respecting him was the moment mutiny became a threat, and Amelia was far less concerned with getting rid of him these past few days.

"It's a port three day's sail from here, if the wind is with us. Port Bangkok is larger than New Madrid, and home to the largest and most flexible market I've ever found. We should be able to find the necessities for you there, including boots and a sword."

Amelia's face lit up almost as brightly as when he'd offered her the chance to trade a skirt for pants. "Wait, my own sword? Really? You mean it?"

"I wouldn't have offered it otherwise. I'm not going to let you go around barefoot all the time, it can become very perilous very quickly on a ship. Besides, what would be the point of learning to use a sword if you're unable to readily defend yourself with one?"

Amelia appeared to be attempting to imitate a rabbit, bouncing up and down as she gave a shriek of delight. "Yes, yes, yes! I should have gotten kidnapped by pirates years ago! This. Is. Awesome!"

Arthur watched her turn in a circle, hopping back and forth from one foot to the other excitedly. A faint smile touched his face. It was remarkably easy to make her happy, more so than he'd anticipated. Despite how ridicules she was acting, he found it surprisingly endearing. He liked making her happy. While he was unwilling to say it just yet, he was no fool. He hadn't sent her off the ship with the other two because of one of the most troublesome human emotions. It was just his luck to fall in love with one of the most ridicules, stubborn, temperamental, willful females he had ever met. He wouldn't have loved her otherwise, though. May God help him.

BREAK/BREAK\BREAK

"I'm probably going to regret asking this, but what is it you're looking for?

"An alehouse. Preferably with rooms above it," answered Lovina, eyes moving from one side of the street to the other as she walked briskly along.

"Eh, you do remember we don't have any money, right?" asked Madeline, trailing behind her worriedly.

Lovina snorted. "That's why I'm looking for an alehouse. This is prime sailing season and raiding season. That means more ships, which means more sailors, which means better business for alehouses. The sooner we can get the hell off this rock the better, and we need money to do it. Unless you plan on renting yourself out to a _bordello_ this is our best chance of getting money."

Madeline blushed, but gave her a dirty look. "I know _that_. No need to be rude. I want out of here just as much as you do."

Glancing back at her, Lovina asked, "Where will you go, though? It won't be easy or cheap to find a ship going back up the mainland coast. If you don't mind the delay we could both go back to Port Diego, _Nonno_ wouldn't mind getting you passage on one of his merchant ships."

Madeline pursed her lips. "I...I don't think I'll be going back."

Lovina stopped walking, turning to look at her head on. Propping her hands on her hips she demanded, "Why the hell not?"

"I...I hate to admit it but Amelia was right. If I go home I'll be expected to marry. I might have been better at being a noble but I didn't enjoy it anymore than she did. Patricia can still marry and inherit, she even had her eye on a lord from Hong Kong that didn't treat her horribly. I'll send them a letter when I can, but I'd like to stay in the Caribbean."

Patricia was the twins' cousin. Both her parents had died of yellow fever when she was ten years old, so their father had taken his niece in. She was three years younger, and as she got very seasick had refrained from joining them. From what Lovina heard, she sounded very irritating but very good at being a lady.

"Better her than you, then," she muttered, returning to her search. "You're still welcome at Port Diego."

"I think I'll take you up on that. That way Amelia can visit both of us."

They walked for another block before Madeline asked, "Do you think Amelia will have to use anything you gave her?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On whether or not it was just me who was a complete _idiota_."

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

Four days later, Amelia stepped out from behind a changing curtain and turned in a circle. This was the third open air shop they'd stopped at, and so far they'd already sent several parcels ahead to the ship. Of course their first stop that day had been the blacksmiths, and then the shoemaker. The well made leather footgear adorned her feet now, and Arthur held her sword for her while she tried on the clothes.

"What do you think? This way if you need to scout out someplace fancy I can go with you."

"I thought you were against raids. It does look quite good on you, though. Blue does wonders for you."

Amelia beamed at him. The latest experiment was a dress that was made of light, airy cloth dyed a blue she had felt matched her eyes perfectly, the navy blue lace and ribbons it had been stitched on with moderately. From the waist down it flared out, giving her the freedom to move easily enough. Though she'd have to take up the hem a bit if she wanted it to be was short enough she didn't worry about stepping on the hem unless there were stairs involved. From the waist up it fit her snuggly, with short puffy sleeves and a dip in the front. It wasn't scandalous, but Amelia felt a thrill knowing her mother wouldn't have completely approved.

"Actually, if you keep it to people who kinda deserve it I don't mind much. Snooty nobles who aren't nice and really stingy. Like Robin Hood, ya know?"

Arthur arched a brow at that. "It's worth discussing. Do you like the dress?"

Amelia looked down at it, pursing her lips. "Do _you_ like it?"

"I won't be the one wearing it, love."

Amelia giggled at the picture that popped into her head. "Good. I'll take it. Can we call it a day? I think I have enough new clothes now, and I'm starving."

Arthur chuckled as she ducked behind the curtain. "Gladly. I was worried we would spend the entire day here."

Giving an un-ladylike snort from behind the curtain, she said, "No way. What do you take me for?"

Before he could answer, she stuck an arm out and tossed him the dress. Arthur looked first at the still-warm cloth, and then at the lady who ran the shop. The petite Asian woman had an amused look on her face, but said nothing.

"We'll take it," he said, handing the dress to her. Turning back to the curtain he said in a louder voice, "I was under the impression you were some sort of lady. I'd settle for a wench if you feel it's more appropriate."

Amelia dashed aside the curtain a few moments later, stepping out. She had discarded her original dress after the first shop they'd visited, instead wearing what was apparently her favorite of her new clothes. A high crimson corset that served as more of a top than a slimming device was fastened around her middle, synched just enough to be snug but not constricting. It was worn over a man's white tunic, the sleeves rolled up her forearms, the neck reaching almost to the corset. A black sash wrapped around her waist, billowing black breeches that looked similar to a skirt when she stood still flowing down her legs. They tucked into her new boots, which adorned her feet, and the hat she'd requested in her hands. It was a wide brimmed affair, black and slightly smaller than his own, with a blue ribbon around it's band, a cloudy white feather slipped into it.

Once out of the curtain, Amelia secured the hat on her head, marched over to Arthur, grabbed him by the labels of his coat, and not for the first time yanked him down so she could plant a kiss firmly on his mouth. When she pulled away, she flashed him a roguish grin and said, "Amelia F. Jones, pirate wench, at your service."

Turning to the saleswoman, who was now giving them a narrow eyed motherly look, she asked, "Is there a church on this rock?"

Pursing her lips, the woman nodded. "Leave docks, go east. Three blocks from market."

"Why do you want to go to a church, love?" asked Arthur as he paid for the dress.

Amelia belted the sword back around her waist, gripping the sides of her pants and shaking them before grimacing. As much as she liked pants, there were going to be a few old habits to break.

When they left the shop she hooked her arm through his, walking cheerfully along at his side as they made their way back through the crowded street. "As nice as pirate wench sounds, pirate bride has a better ring to it."

Arthur stopped, frowning at her.

"This was your idea, remember?" she protested before he could do more than open his mouth.

"I know, I know. But seeing as nothing else will go to tradition I'd like to do at least part of it right. If you won't mind waiting a bit longer I'd like to find a ring and ask you properly."

Amelia pouted, but not for long. _For a ruthless pirate, Artie can be awfully sweet,_ she thought.

"If you like we could go back to New Madrid for that bit. We do need two witnesses, if nothing else."

"Deal!" she chirped, brightening again.

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

Antonio watched as a fluffy yellow canary flittered down through the rigging of the _Gelb Klaue_, coming to settle on Gilbert's hand. A small roll of paper was wrapped around it's leg. The albino patted the little bird fondly, and it fluttered to settle on his hat once he'd removed the note.

"Well?" asked Antonio stiffly.

The albino scanned the note, and then handed it over. His usual smirk wasn't in place. It hadn't been since he'd caught up to the Spaniard as he'd left Tortuga. Antonio had agreed surprisingly quickly to bring Lovina back for a visit, in exchanged for Gilbert's help once they caught Kirkland. It had been a long time since the Prussian had seen his friend so grim. He didn't like it, it wasn't right.

"Well, we can't attack them in port," he said once he was sure Antonio had read the note. "With the mercenaries gone and the rest of his fleet on raids he should be easy for the two of us to beat."

It was pure luck they'd caught up to him so quickly. Gilbert's cousin, a Hungarian woman who lived in Port Bangkok with her husband, was a very reliable source. Her love for gossip meant her ear was always to the ground, and Gilbert had suggested they see if she had heard anything about Kirkland's latest whereabouts. The note Gilbird had returned only had two words: 'He's here.'

After a long moment Antonio handed the note back, going to stand at the portside bulwark. From there it was a clear shot to the open ocean. They were at a standstill for the moment, having dropped anchor ten miles off the island's coast and behind a small inlet. Out of the main sightline of anyone in the main harbor, but where they had a good view of those coming or going.

"We'll leave the _Cuervo de Advertencia_ here. Leave them Gilbird. When Kirkland leaves they can send us the centre of effort."

"And where is the Awesome me going to be if not waiting here?"

"With me," said Antonio. He reached for his axe, which had been resting against the bulwark. He leaned on the weapon, both hands wrapped around his grip. "It's not a large island, we can go far enough around to stay out of sight. The first night the _Green Revenge_ is in the open, she's ours. Remember, if you get the chance, don't take it, Gil. Kirkland is mine."

Gilbert nodded, remembering that bit of their agreement. It was another reason he was worried for his friend. Even in the worst of times, Antonio was a cheerful fellow at heart. Now, though, he was out for blood. Kirkland's blood.

* * *

><p><strong>Patricia- Philippians<strong>

**Please Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Shout out to 1, Mei and Mickey, MiserableOrchid, MiyukoLove, QuintessentiallyEccentric, Angy, I Know I'm A Dreamer, Phantom Ice, Mizushi-Hime, animelover8m!**

**So many reviews! :D Okay, test-surge done, hopefully more frequent updates in the offing :)**

**It was mentioned that DarkAntonio was enjoyed...well he's back! Let me know if you enjoy him and he will reappear in future stories!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Eh, Lovina? Could you help me with this?"<p>

Lovina glanced back over at the bar once she'd sat down the last tankard of ale, trotting back over as Madeline struggled with a large tray of food. The other girl gave her a grateful look as they both carried it to a table on the far side of the room, dropping it down on the thick wood with a _clunk_.

"Thanks," said Madeline as they both returned to the back. "It didn't look that heavy when I picked it up."

"Don't mention it. You do it for me more than I do it for you."

"Lovina! Refills, the ones at the bar need refills," chided their new boss as she swept past them.

Rather than argue as she had on her first day, Lovina hurried behind the bar. She swept up coins and switched empty tankards for full ones with what was becoming practiced ease. It wasn't as though she had cause to argue or grumble, anyway. Compared to many of the places she'd seen in Tortuga, and more than a handful she'd seen even here, the Blue Tulip was a clean and well run establishment. Two Dutch siblings ran the place, but the elder brother, Lars, kept to the kitchens. It was the slight Bella, who in Lovina's opinion was a more bossy version of Amelia, who ran the tavern/inn. The two stories above the tavern were living quarters for the workers and rooms for rent. Lovina and Madeline now shared one of them. In return for getting their pay cut in half, they could sleep in a warm bed and have food in their bellies whenever they got peckish. Lars was a stern, mostly humorless man, but he was a very good cook.

Madeline ducked back into the kitchen to fetch the next batch of food. Lovina glanced after her, lips twitching as her hands twisted the tap on the rum barrel. She had been very surprised by how much she enjoyed this particular line of work. She kept her hands busy, and was so tired by the end of the day she had no problems falling asleep. She only had to dodge the occasional slap or grab directed at her behind, and was encouraged by Bella to punch them when they did so. It was hardly as though the patrons themselves complained. No one, not even Bella, seemed to mind if she cursed. If anything the patrons enjoyed having the petite Italian bellow across the tavern, "You'll get your damn food! Be patient you stupid _bastardi!_"

Madeline seemed to be getting along all right, but it wasn't Lovina who counted up their earnings every night and kept an eye on the constantly changing prices for passage to Port Diego. Every night Lovina would tell her, "It's not as if it will grow faster if you count it." Usually she received a reply along the lines of, "Shut up and go to sleep," from the equally tired girl.

They'd already sent their letters, though, so Lovina had felt the initial rush to get home dissipate. She was content here, surprisingly so. Besides, the work and the exhaustion meant it was easier not to think about pirates. The only time she did was in that few minutes between her head hitting the pillow and nodding off into a weary slumber.

Sometimes she worried over Amelia, but not often. Usually it was the green eyed Spaniard that drifted into her mind. She still worried about what he might do when he caught up to Kirkland, but sometimes she wondered if he would at all. What if he didn't come looking? Why should he? She'd done nothing but fight him and make a nuisance of herself the whole way. After wondering about that, though, she'd usually remember the look on his face as Kirkland had taken her onboard the _Green Revenge_.

She was never really able to get things worked out completely before she was out, though.

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

Amelia was a very heavy sleeper. The only reason Madeline had been able to wake her up the night of the raid on their French cargo ship was because her sister had just rolled her out of her bunk and onto the floor. The drop from the second level had done the trick.

That said, Amelia had apparently become more attuned to her new environment, because the moment Arthur rolled out of bed her eyes were opening groggily. She groaned, struggling to keep her eyes open a crack. A glance at the windows showed it was still pitch black out, and the only light was from a small lantern Arthur was lighting hurriedly.

"What's goin' on?" she mumbled, forcing herself up from the blankets.

"Something's not right," said Arthur grimly, belting on his weapons. Once he was armed, he grabbed her sword belt and brought it over to the bed. He put it and a dagger on the edge of the blankets, and then leaned over to take her face in his hands. After placing a gentle kiss on her forehead he said, "Stay in here, love. If anyone comes in, surprise them."

With that he was gone, slipping out the door. Amelia frowned, crawling over to the edge of the bed. Once on her feet she stretched, yawned, and reached for her boots. She was just synching the sword belt around her waist when she heard a sound she'd become very familiar with over the last few days: the sound of metal on metal. Sword on sword. Fighting. People were yelling now too, but it wasn't coming from the _Green Revenge_. It was coming from outside, from either side of her.

Heart sinking, Amelia unsheathed her rapier and ran for the door. She wrenched it open in time to see flames flare up from the ship's aft as someone threw a torch onto the deck. Rather than flicker out as it should have, flames shot up in a large pool, lighting the ship. _Oil, someone poured oil on the deck,_ she thought numbly.

For a moment Amelia was frozen in place, staring in horror as men swarmed over both sides of the ship. Two vessels, one equal to the _Green Revenge_ in size and the other a good deal smaller, had landed multiple grapples on Arthur's ship. Her remaining crew was trying to come up on deck, but every man that managed it was cut down before he could do more than raise his weapon. The skeleton crew that had been on deck for night duty was already dead. Arthur was in the thick of it, but he was losing ground quickly. For every man he cut down two more swarmed him.

Amelia tightened her grip on her sword, and with a shriek threw herself into the fray. She didn't think about the man she thrust her blade into first, didn't think about the startled and dead look on his face as she braced a foot on his back and yanked it out again. It was the first life she'd taken, but at the moment she had more problems to worry about. It hadn't taken long for the men to realize someone besides Arthur was trying to make a dent in their numbers.

If anyone had asked her about it later, Amelia wouldn't have been able to tell them much about the fight. She kept his sword swinging, not daring to stop for a moment as she darted about the deck. Half of her blows didn't even land, but she didn't care, so long as none landed on _her_. Arthur had told her that she wouldn't be able to overpower an opponent by force alone, insisting that speed was her best ally. Besides, a well-placed wound would take out an opponent just as much as a killing blow.

Feeling like one of those deranged tree rats that had made a nuisance of themselves back home, Amelia ran up and down the deck, jumping and twisting and pivoting, never staying in the same place for more than a few seconds. Men yelled and screamed and swore around her, but the actual words didn't really register with her. A shout or scream meant she'd landed a blow. A curse or snarl meant he had a friend that wasn't happy about it.

How long this went on Amelia didn't know. She only really came out of it when a blade caught hers, blocking it. It stopped her in her tracks, the American's free hand coming up to grab the hilt in a two handed grip. She stared at the sword's owner, gasping for air, sweat trickling down her temple.

Red eyes glinted eerily in the light of the burning deck. White skin and hair seemed almost luminous, and Amelia felt a chill run down her spine. It didn't help when a slow grin spread across the pirate's face. Though if the hat perched on his head and the good quality coat whipping around him was any indication, this wasn't just any pirate. This was a captain. Arthur had only spoken of one pirate captain who was albino.

"Well, well, another _fräulein?_ You're prettier than the last one," the pirate said, thrusting her sword away.

Amelia stumbled, but kept her feet and hurriedly brought her sword back up. "Why are you attacking us, Belishmet? What do you want?"

"I am here to keep a promise to my _bruder_. Carriedo just wants to kill Kirkland. Now tell me, where is that Italian girl?" asked Gilbert, slowly moving towards her.

Amelia took a step back, but then steeled herself. A heroine didn't back down. Wait, what had he said? "Carriedo's here?" she demanded, looking around quickly.

"_Ja_. He's the _dummkopf_ that wanted to attack. Tell me where the Italian is and the Awesome me might be able to keep him from killing Kirkland."

"New Madrid," Amelia said quickly. Gilbert was still advancing, so she kept her sword up. "He left her and my sister in New Madrid in exchange for me staying with him."

Gilbert paused, frowning. "That's not good."

Before Amelia could ask why, a roar of victory rang up from the deck. Gilbert turned, but rather than take advantage of the situation, Amelia felt her heart drop to her boots. How she'd missed him she had absolutely no idea, a giant axe didn't exactly blend in.

"Oh no," she whispered.

Arthur was still alive, that wasn't what worried her. What made fear shoot up her spine was the figure stalking towards him across the deck. His expression was set, dark, and if Amelia had to put a name to it, she would have picked murder.

Gilbert made a grab for her, but Amelia ducked around him, scrambling around the remaining men, living and dead alike. She reached them just as Arthur was yanking his sword from the stomach of a now unmoving pirate, turning just in time to throw himself out of the axe's path. The blade buried itself an inch in the wood, but Carriedo yanked it up with ease, lifting the heavy blade once more.

"What do you want?" Arthur demanded, eyes burning as they squared off.

"Return what you took from me, Kirkland, and this ship will have at least one survivor."

Arthur's expression was cold, hard. "You'll just kill me anyway, Carriedo."

A smile that chilled Amelia's blood split Antonio's face. "_S__ì_."

With that both pirates charged each other. Arthur dodged the first swing of the axe's heavy blade, aiming a slash at Antonio's side as he ducked passed him. The Spaniard pivoted at the last minute, bringing his axe back around in an arch that had Arthur springing backwards.

"I don't have the girl," Arthur snarled, lunging forward.

"Then tell me what you did with her."

"Why should I if you're going to kill me anyway?"

"I should have killed you years ago!" snarled Antonio, turning the path of his axe at the last minute.

Arthur, who had been making another pass with his sword, threw himself to the side. Rather than lose an arm, though, his left hand was badly cut. With a yell that was as much rage as pain, he surged forward, bracing the wounded hand on the axe's pole just long enough to land a good hit before rolling away. Antonio snarled as the gash opened up in his chest, but like Arthur he wasn't slowed down by the wound so much as egged on by it.

Amelia watched in horror as the brutal dance continued. For the most part they only seemed to land light nicks or cuts, but the looks of anger on their faces was borderline animalistic. Never in her life had Amelia seen two people who hated each other so much.

_They're really gonna kill each other,_ she thought with a chill. _I can't let them._

Amelia shoved through the last of the crowd, stumbling as she entered the ring that had formed around the two pirates. As she did, Arthur moved to the side, a roundhouse swing barely missing him, and darted forward faster than Amelia had ever seen him move. She did, however, see what the tip of his sword was aiming for.

"Stop!" she screamed, running forward.

Arthur didn't seem to hear her. It was too late to stop the blow anyway. Carriedo yelled as the blade pierced his arm, throwing him back into the mizzenmast. Arthur wrenched it out, the axe clattering to the deck, and drew his arm back to land the killing blow.

"Don't!" screamed Amelia, throwing herself forward. She wrapped both arms around Arthur's, weighting it down and making him stumble back a step.

"What are you doing?" he roared, shoving her away.

Amelia stumbled, but before she could answer Antonio stepped forward, grabbing the wrist of the hand Arthur gripped his sword with, and punched him. The first hit snapped his nose. The second was in his diaphragm. As he doubled over, his grip going slack, Antonio knocked his feet out from under him, and slammed the heel of his hand into his forehead. Arthur crashed to the deck, and in the few seconds he lay still Antonio braced a boot on his chest, pressing the tip of the sword to his throat.

"The girl you took from me," he said again, breath coming in pants. "What have you done with her?"

Amelia was about to move forward, but a dagger's blade slipped over her neck, pressing lightly against her throat. "Sorry, _fräulein_," said Gilbert.

"The only reason you are still breathing is because there's information I need," Carriedo was growling, eyes dark. "The girl you took from me. Where is she? My men searched the ship, she's not here. _¿Dónde está__?_"

He took some of his weight off Arthur's chest so the Brit could answer, at least. Arthur coughed, and rather than protest gasped, "New Madrid."

He looked like he was about to say more, but the weight returned full force. "Since when do you give in so easily?" hissed the Spaniard. "Do not lie to me, Kirkland."

"If he is, that makes two liars, Toni," said Gilbert, apparently deciding to speak up. He pushed both himself and Amelia forward, until they were mere feet away from the two captains.

Antonio's his eyes narrowed when he saw Amelia. "I don't know why you defended me, but you are probably going to regret it. Neither of us is worth saving, _señorita_." Turning back to Arthur, he said, "You are no better than me, yet you still took her."

Arthur opened his mouth, but all that came out was a choked noise as he fought to breathe, his good hand braced under Antonio's boot. Amelia glanced at his weapons belt, but none of his pistols or daggers remained. _He used them all already,_ she thought with a gulp.

"Well, if you're not the only one still living, it looks like I get the pleasure of killing you _now_." He tossed the sword onto the deck nest to Arthur, reaching for his axe.

"Wait!" shouted Amelia before he could do more than lift it from the deck.

Antonio ignored her, taking his foot of Arthur's chest. "Pick up your sword, Kirkland. For what it's worth."

Arthur dragged himself upright, face grim, eyes locked on Antonio as his good hand reached for his blade.

Amelia, terrified, screamed more than spoke her next words. "_Fermarlo tomate bastardo!_"

Antonio froze where he stood. For a moment he didn't move a muscle, but then he slowly turned to Amelia, narrowed eyes gone back to a normal state as he stared at her. In a low, dangerous voice he asked, "What did you just call me, _señorita_?"

Amelia took a deep breath, and sequenced her eyes shut. She knew Lovina had insisted she had to sound angry when she did it, but it was hard to sound angry while trying to carefully recite at the same time. "_Sei un pomodoro bastardo, idiota! Ancora mi devi un barile di pomodori __e lezioni_ _di spada__! __Il gioco è_ _stupido__,_ _ma ho ancora_ _piaciuto__! Voglio_ _stare_ _con te_ _pomodoro bastardo!_ _Uccidere_ _il bastardo_ _tè__o Amalia e_ _io_ _non voglio_ _stare_ _con te__! Ti amo!_"

Amelia let out a huge breath, slumping against Gilbert when she was done. Opening her eyes, she looked around to find Arthur with a bewildered look on his face. For a long minute no one spoke. Antonio held perfectly still, face blank.

After what felt far too long Amelia slowly opened her eyes, shuffling her feet nervously. "Uh, I said all that right, didn't I? I don't speak Italian but Lovina said that would make you listen. I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

After a long minute Antonio asked in a low voice, "You really have no idea what you told me?"

Amelia shook her head as much as the dagger at her neck allowed. "No. Why? She wouldn't tell me what any of it meant in English. Did I not say it angry enough? I could try again."

Antonio studied her for a long minute, and then asked in a unrecognizable tone, "You are sure she is in New Madrid?"

Amelia perked up, nodding hurriedly. "Definitely! She's with my sister there, we dropped them both off. Fair ain't cheep, so they're probably still there."

Jerking his chin to the larger ship, Antonio ordered, "Have your men take her aboard, Gilbert."

"What are you doing? We told you where the girl was," protested Arthur, his voice furious as he got to his feet. One of the crewmen had grabbed his sword before he could get to it, leaving him unarmed, two more moving forward to restrain him. Despite this he looked ready to attack Antonio with his bare hands, axe or no axe.

"_S_**_Í_**_,_ you did. If you speak the truth then the girl will be left in New Madrid, unharmed. She might have bad taste, but I take no pleasure in harming women," said Antonio, turning back to Arthur. "You are another story, Kirkland."

"Hey! I'll go with you, I'll help you find them!" protested Amelia as two crewmen started dragging her towards the smaller ship. "Leave him alone! He's already hurt!"

Antonio didn't seem to hear her, but Gilbert saw his eyes flick briefly in her direction. Once she was gone he noted coolly, "All I did was sink a few ships, steal back a little gold. Yet you've turned traitor, attacked me at every turn. You've sent spies, burned five of my ships, given orders that have left a hundred of my men dead, and nearly killed Francis. I do not seek you out, I do not go out of my way to make an enemy of you, despite all you've done."

Drawing a dagger from his belt, he walked slowly over to Arthur, face dark. "I was willing to continue keeping my distance, Kirkland. I still am. For the girl's sake I will leave you with your life. If she is telling the truth, you may find her waiting for you in New Madrid. If she is not, then you can find her in holy ground."

Gilbert wasn't the squeamish sort, he was too awesome for that. He was a pirate himself, after all, and had been known to relieve men of a few extremities. He just did it less often than Antonio. Even so, he had to turn away after the first scream.

* * *

><p><strong>Dundundun! *Evil giggle*<strong>

**¿Dónde está?- Where is she?**

**Fermarlo tomate bastardo! - stop it tomato bastard!**

**Sei un pomodoro bastardo, idiota!- you're a tomato bastard, idiot!**

**Ancora mi devi un barile di pomodori e lezioni di spada!- you still owe me a barrel of tomatoes and sword lessons!**

**Il gioco è stupido, ma ho ancora piaciuto! - your game was stupid, but I still liked it!**

**Voglio stare con te pomodoro bastardo! - I want to stay with you, tomato bastard!**

**Uccidere il bastardo tè o Amalia e io non voglio stare con te - Kill the tea bastard or Amelia and I won't stay with you!**

**Ti amo- I love you!**

**[]**

**Please Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I would like to issue a jumbo-sized apology for the wait. I seriously thought I would have been able to update _way_ before now. The explanation is below for those who wish to read it. If not, skip to the Shout out :)**

**Okay, so, last week was spring break for me. I went home, which is a vacation in itself, and while I knew I would have a few things to do I didn't realize just how much time it would soak up. I haven't unvield my persona as an FF author to my family yet, so this puts a limit on when I can work on updates. This basically meant the only time I could write was at night, at which point I was very tired and was reduced to a few meager paragraphs at a time, if any. *Sigh***

**Again, I apologize, and if I'd known just how little of a 'break' spring break would be I swear there would have been a warning posted.**

**Shout out to AlchemicAliens, Vintage Sherry, Doodle0505, Mei and Mickey, kassydaPJgeek14, Phantom Ice, kawaiijilli, ZanyAnimeGirl, MiserableOrchid, QuintessentiallyEccentric, Rani-Girl, ElliseTheGuest, Angy, Pugslover, little Miss punk rocker, andi, Cielorea, and RandomGuest!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Amelia paced the tiny room she'd been shoved into, periodically yanking her hat from her head to jam a hand through her hair. Unlike the <em>Green Revenge<em>, this small ship had no brig. Her current prison seemed to be little more than a cleared store room. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she'd been dragged below decks, but it felt like forever. What made it worse were the screams she'd heard before the filthy pirate had yanked her down the steep steps. She might not have heard them before, but she recognized him. She'd redoubled her efforts then, only to receive a cuff on the back of her head that made spots dance before her eyes. It had taken a good few minutes, long enough to have the door slammed and latched at her heels, before she could do more than stumble about.

What had Carriedo done to Arthur? That was the main question circling her head. The Spaniard had indicated he'd leave him alive, but it wasn't until Amelia had heard the screams she'd realized the loophole in that statement. _Alive_ did not in the slightest mean _unharmed_. Her stomach churned as every horror story and report she'd ever come across about pirates surfaced. Carriedo in particular had left a wake of gruesome tales of what he did to traitors or captured enemies.

The room itself was dark, lit only by a sliver of light from beneath the door. Amelia's eyes had long since adjusted, so she noticed immediately when something moved in front of it. She stiffened, easing herself closer to it as quietly as possible. They'd disarmed her, but it wasn't like she'd ever let that stop her before.

The moment the door creaked open Amelia threw herself forward, only to have her first blow caught by the wrist. She was jerked to a halt, held at arm's length with her own arm high enough she was forced to her toes. She snarled every foul name she could remember at Carriedo as he stepped coolly forward, lantern in his free hand. The icily calm look on his face was the only reason she wasn't making use of her free hand. She was a lot of things at the moment, but stupid wasn't one of them.

When she stopped for a breath Carriedo asked lightly, "If you're done I'd like to speak with you."

Amelia stumbled as he thrust her back into the room, yanking the door shut behind him. Once she rightened herself she demanded, "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"It doesn't matter what I expect. It's the truth and whether you believe it or not is up to you _señorita_. The only reason I'm here is to have a few simple questions answered."

The American glowered at him, but folded her arms. "It's not like I'm going anywhere, bastard. Ask away."

To her surprise, his lips twitched upward slightly. "Did you see Lovina aboard Kirkland's ship?"

"I thought my speech would have answered that. By the way, what is it I said?"

Ignoring her question, Carriedo asked, "How was she treated?"

Amelia shrugged stubbornly. "Not bad. Arthur kept her down in the brig with my sister. I would have known if the crew did anything, and I _know_ Arthur didn't do anything."

Carriedo seemed to relax slightly. "This sister of yours, how is it she was a prisoner and you are not?"

"We both got captured. Arthur liked me." She shrugged again. "What do you care?"

"I don't. I simply don't like liars. I don't take pleasure in hurting women, but I do make a point to keep my word once I give it, even to an enemy. If you are lying, about any of this, it won't go well. I don't suppose you're familiar with confessions and forgiveness?"

Amelia glared at him. "I'm not a liar, Carriedo. Speaking of enemies, what did you do with Arthur?"

"He's alive," he said simply, shrugging. "It's more than the rest of his crew got."

"I heard him screaming you bastard. _What did you do?_" she demanded angrily. Amelia hoped he didn't catch the slight quiver in her voice.

Carriedo regarded her steadily. "I...relieved him of something. Unfortunately it wasn't something that could simply be cut off, so it was quite painful. But consider it a peace treaty, _señorita_. I will leave him alone hereafter, if you are telling the truth. I would consider it fair if he did the same."

As he turned to leave, Amelia demanded, "Why? You were going to kill us all. What changed your mind?"

The Spaniard paused. "What does it matter?"

"I want to know what I owe our lives to. Seems fair, doesn't it?"

"_S__Í_, I suppose, but you already know the answer."

Amelia scowled. "No, I don't. Why would I be asking you if I did?"

"Tell me, _señorita_, what would change the mind of a pirate?"

"Somehow I doubt it was gold that changed your mind," Amelia told him icily.

"No. It was something much more valuable, _señorita_. I left Kirkland alive because had I not I would have lost it, and because he had it himself."

"Hey!" protested Amelia, lurching forward as he opened the door.

In a flash his sword was out, its point hovering inches from her throat as she jerked to a halt. "Do not test me, _señorita_. My mercy has a limit."

Amelia held perfectly still as he stepped back out of the room, hooking the lantern on the wall before yanking the door shut, a bolt sliding home. She stepped back, leaning against the wall. _Damn it why won't anyone tell me what I said?!_ she thought angrily.

Three days. Unless she was mistaken it would be three days before they reached New Madrid. Three days until she was let out. Three days until the moment of truth. Amelia prayed they hadn't gotten lucky, that they were still in New Madrid. She had to get away from Carriedo in one piece so she could find Arthur.

_Please, please let them still be there,_ she thought desperately, closing her eyes.

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

Lovina trudged into the room she shared with Madeline, pushing the door shut and dragging the latch home wearily. Bracing a hand on the wall, she tugged her boots off as she yawned. Once she had one off, she gave her tired foot a brief rub before doing the same to the other.

She pressed her hands to the small of her back when she straightened, groaning. It had been a long day, more so than usual. Bella had had them working since that morning almost non-stop with the recent rush of merchant ships that were in port. Her feet were sore, and so was her throat, which was a change. It was the first time she had ever gotten tired of yelling before.

"How close are we?" she asked, shuffling passed Madeline to their window.

"Closer. Today's bonus helped."

Lovina grunted, lifting the latch so she could push open the heavy window panes. Bracing her hands on the sill, she leaned out, taking a deep breath of the fresh, brisk air. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the contrast to the crowded tavern below.

She was drawing herself back in when Madeline said, "If this rush keeps up, we should have enough in about a week."

Lovina paused. "A week?"

"Give or take."

As wonderful as that was, Lovina found she wasn't as happy as she thought she would be. Why shouldn't she be thrilled? They were getting out, away, going home. She would see Feliciana again, and _Nonno_. As much as she hated to admit it, she would even be glad to see Ludwig. Lovina _wanted_ to go home...right? No more pirates, no more working in a tavern, no more hard beds...that was good news, right? When she'd first gotten captured Lovina knew she would have leaped at the chance to return home. She thought that was still the case. Yet now that it was in reach, she found herself starting to have doubts.

"Lovina?"

Snapping back to reality, she asked tiredly, _"S__Í__?"_

"If you're done, could you please close the window? There's another chill tonight."

Lovina nodded, but took one last look of the horizon. It wasn't that bad here, really. Not as posh as Port Diego, it boasted sprawling streets rather than homes of nobility. The harbor was slightly smaller, and tonight it was particularly crowded.

Frowning, Lovina squinted in the direction of the harbor. "Madeline?"

"Yes?"

"Come here."

It took a moment for the other girl to join her at the window. "What is it?"

"Look."

Madeline leaned out, following Lovina's pointing arm. "The harbor? What's wrong with it?"

"That big ship that's coming in. What kind is it?"

"It...looks like the _Green Revenge_, only different. Why? Pirates dock here as much as honest folk, remember?"

"Yes, but the guard tower isn't smoking after they pass it," said Lovina quietly.

Madeline went ridged. "What reason would pirates have to attack New Madrid?"

"I don't know, but they have one," said Lovina, yanking the window shut. "Get ready. We're leaving."

"Where?" demanded Madeline as they scrambled to get footgear back on.

"We'll warn Bella. Maybe it's nothing, but I'd rather not risk it. After that we're going to the blacksmiths."

"Maybe they just have a quarrel with someone docked here," protested the other girl.

"The last time I made an assumption about pirates I ended up a prisoner," snapped Lovina, leading the way out. "If it happens again, I doubt that I will be as lucky as last time. The only pirate who is getting me onto their ship willingly is Antonio. Oi, Lars!"

Madeline twitched as Lovina shoved open the door to the kitchen, bellowing across it with a slightly hoarse voice. The large man immerged from the store room, wiping his hands on a towel. "I thought you two were off for the night," he rumbled in a slightly accented voice. Where Bella was slight and not much taller than Lovina in build, Lars was well over six feet in height and broad, strong. Very handy when bar brawls broke out. Madeline had seen him hurl two grown men halfway across the street once. At the same time.

"Pirates in the harbor. Unfriendly ones," said Lovina grimly, tightening her head scarf.

Lars was always rather grim faced, so Madeline didn't see much of a change in expression as he strode over to the window that opened behind the bar. He stuck his head out, and she heard him rumble something to Bella in what she suspected to be their native language. In a heartbeat Bella was bellowing across the tavern, "Everybody out! Either lock yourselves in somewhere or take up arms! Out, out, out! Move it you lazy bums! Someone get to the church, ring the bell!"

Turning back to the other two, Lars regarded them for a moment before reaching into a pocket. He pulled out a ring of keys, tossing them to Lovina. As she fumbled to catch them he said, "You would bite my hand off if I tried to lock you two in here. The blacksmith gets drunk here enough he had an extra set made."

Madeline opened her mouth, but Lovina grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her towards the back door. "Don't talk, move," she hissed. "At least we have a warning this time."

"Port Diego? Don't they have a night watch?"

"I could say the same for New Madrid. The watch is useless," muttered Lovina. She kept going, but it was in Italian, and Madeline guessed it was mostly profanities so she ignored it.

"Why is it most people can go their entire lives without ever meeting a single pirate, but this is the third time in less than a year we've been in a pirate raid?" asked Madeline in a slightly dazed voice.

"This is my third, _idiota_," snapped Lovina, stopping outside the blacksmith's shop. Fumbling with the keys she continued, "This is only your second."

"Just because I wasn't on the side being invaded does not mean it didn't count. It wasn't any less pleasant."

Lovina muttered a curse as the first key didn't work. She tried the second, jamming it into the lock and turning it sharply. She threw open the door, wrenching the key back out again. "What kind of pirate do you think it will be this time? Portuguese? French?" she ranted, stomping into the shop.

Madeline trailed her, frowning. "I don't understand."

"Every damn time, it's someone from one country or another. England, Spain, Germany," growled Lovina, rummaging around in the dark for a moment. She found a lantern, and set about lighting it. "How long until someone starts ringing that damn bell? Do they want the entire town to still be sleeping when hell breaks loose?"

As if on cue, the heavy tolling of the church bell could be heard. It resounded through the winding streets of New Madrid, loud and clear. Lovina paused, and then kept going. As she located the small stash of freshly made and sharpened swords, another bell began to toll. It sounded closer, no doubt coming from one of the still active guard towers. That one didn't ring for long, but by the time it was cut off another church bell, this one on the opposite side of the town, started to toll.

_Well, at least the warning is getting out,_ thought Madeline grimly as Lovina passed her a sword. She removed the sheath, and after a moment's thought simply let it fall to the floor.

"I don't suppose you have a plan in mind?" she asked wearily as Lovina marched out of the shop.

"If any pirate bastards make a grab for you, run them through," said the Italian, face grim. "It's mostly for defense, though. No way in hell I'm charging into a horde of pirates. Leave the real fighting to the guards, or what's left of them. We find a street and hold our ground."

"And if we can't?"

"We run."

Madeline wasn't completely sure if she liked this plan. Then again, she couldn't come up with anything else better. While she liked the idea of having her back to something, like an ally or the town wall, it also meant they wouldn't be able to run if they had to. If nothing else, at least she was armed for a change. Before she'd been a traveler or a prisoner, and in both cases she'd been a woman. Women didn't get weapons. The idea of taking a human life didn't appeal to her, but Madeline also knew that in a case like this, it was often a situation of kill or be killed.

She was still mauling over this when Lovina stopped in her tracks. Madeline slowed, following her friend's gaze upward. Frowning, she asked, "What is that?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" demanded Lovina, scowling. "Aren't you supposed to be crashing a wedding?"

The yellow ball of fluff fluttered down, landing on the finger Lovina reluctantly offered. Madeline stepped forward, peering at it curiously. Once settled, she realized the thing was a yellow canary, a rather small bird that looked decidedly more fluffy than most birds. She wondered if this was just a natural phenomena or if it just meant the bird was well fed.

"What is that?" she asked as Lovina picked at something on its leg.

"Damn thing belongs to that albino pirate. Gilbert, I think."

"The one whose brother is marrying your sister?"

"_S__Í_. _Idiota_ named it Gilbird. I thought it stayed on that damn hat of his." She finally freed the message, fluttering her hand to shake off the bird before unrolling it.

Gilbird hovered for a moment, squawking hoarsely a few times before fluttering over to Madeline. "He's sort of cute, isn't he?"

Lovina grunted, frowning at the slip of paper. Her head snapped up, though, when the other girl gave a muffled shriek. She looked over in time to see Gilbird settle, puffing himself out and closing his eyes as though he intended to take a nap. Madeline's face was bright red, but she made no move do dislodge the bird, despite the fact it's resting place was just below the fabric of her blouse. Lovina could plainly see the puffed up feathers of the bird's head, but nothing else. Apparently Madeline's chest had looked more comfortable than either of their head's, which seemed to be his perch of choice when he was with Gilbert.

"Still think the damn thing is cute?" asked Lovina incredulously.

"Well...he's not scratching me. Or biting me. He might if I try to get him out."

Lovina rolled her eyes, and went back to squinting at the message. It was short, as it's messenger was a rather small bird and she wasn't sure how far he'd had to come, but after a minute she was able to make out the faded ink. _'__Estamos llegando Lovi__.'_ Even if she hadn't recognized the fluid scrawl, only three people called her Lovi. Two were back in Port Diego.

Looking over at Gilbird, who had to all appearances gone to sleep in Madeline's bosom, it really hit her. Antonio was coming. He was coming for her. He was coming, and if the canary was any indication, he had Gilbert with him. He knew to send Gilbird to New Madrid, which meant they must have caught up with Kirkland. Lovina tried not to think about that last part too much, deciding to just hope Antonio hadn't gone too far. She'd been reluctant to leave that message, and even then she'd only done so much once she was certain Amelia didn't understand a word of Italian. She'd spent an entire day drilling it into the American's head, and endured just as long being intensely nagged for a translation. She'd refused, and by the time she was done Amelia could do a suitable impression of Lovina in her native language.

"We need to get to a guard tower," she said at last, stuffing the message into a pocket.

Madeline frowned. "But they've passed them. They must be at the walls by now."

"_S__Í_, but those towers have the best vantage point for the sea. They're designed to be held, if done right. Those bastards didn't do a good job, that's how they were taken so easily."

"Why do we need to see the sea? What did that message say?"

Lovina started walking, face grim. "It says more pirates are coming."

"The good kind?"

The Italian actually cracked a small smile at that, her first one in some time. Had it really come down to that? Good pirates and bad pirates? Most people would say there wasn't any such thing as 'good' pirates, and a month ago she'd been one of them.

"Very good. All we have to do is hold out long enough for them to get here."

"Um, Lovina?"

When she looked back, Lovina saw her friend had stopped, face a bit pail. Madeline raised an arm, the one without the sword, and pointed. Lovina turned, following her hand. The base of the island itself was a gentle slope for several miles, and they were far enough into the city that they could actually see over the tops of the walls, if barely. The looming ship was still there, though lights were starting to come to life everywhere, including the docks as their element of surprise was lost.

It wasn't that Madeline was pointing to, though. No, Lovina followed her hand to the harbor mouth. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw three ships, one large and two small, slipping passed the smoking guard towers.

A wide, genuine smile spread across her face, though she wasn't aware of it. Without turning around she said in a soft voice, "_Lui è_ _qui__._"

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><p><strong><em>Estamos llegando Lovi<em> - We're coming Lovi.**

**_Lui è_ _qui_ - he's here**

**Fingers crossed for another update by the end of the week my pretties! (Seriously. In my defense, life is a sadistic witch off her schizophrenic meds.)**

**Please Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

S**hout out to kassydaPJgeek14, Vintage Sherry, 1, Cardfighter By Maple, Pugslover, Nightshine315, Noire Knightmre, Phantom Ice, AngelDew, QuintessentiallyEccentric, capri, little Miss punk rocker, and hiimafan!**

**Alright, made my by-the-end-of-the-week deadline by the skin of my teeth! :D**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Ludwig walked briskly across the large greeting room, throwing open one of the large doors and then shoving it shut with a resounding bang. He had just come from the latest in a growing number of arguments with his father. Ludwig had made up his mind to forgive his brother, provided he would at least make an attempt at adjusting to a somewhat more legal occupation after he returned. His father was taking a little more convincing. It seemed he and Gilbert had gotten along even less than Ludwig had realized. Gilbert not only rubbed the man the wrong way at every turn, he had taken pleasure in it. While he wasn't going so far as to arrange for Gilbert's execution, he was insisting on jail time. Almost every day Ludwig tried a different approach, trying to talk him out of it. So far he'd only managed to whittle his father down to five years of jail time. Considering he'd started out with a life sentence, their arguments hadn't been for nothing, per say.<p>

Now Ludwig was making for the stables, as he usually did. A long ride usually calmed his nerves, away from the pests known as people. Today those plans were soon put on hold, however. As he was storming across the rutted yard, a familiar cry stopped him.

"Luddy! Luddddyyyy!"

Carefully adjusting his features so that the anger wasn't quite so blatant, Ludwig turned to face his fiancé. It sounded like she was happy for the first time in over a week after all. When he faced her, though, he was surprised by the relieved joy shining on her face.

The German stumbled back a step when she collided with him, only to bounce in place and shove a piece of paper under his nose. "Look, look, look! It's from her! It's from Lovina! She's alive, she's alright!"

Ludwig plucking the fluttering paper from Feliciana's hand, frowning at it. He scanned the letter, noting with relief that it was Lovina's handwriting and her scrawling signature at the bottom.

His taciturn sister-in-law wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but Feliciana loved her, and for his fiancé's sake he'd tried to get along with her. It had taken painful time, but he'd eventually earned a grudging nod of approval. Not a day before she'd been captured, Lovina had pulled him aside and told him in her blunt manner, "You are most defiantly not my favorite person in the world, potato bastard, but you are better than the other bastards. If she has to pick one, it might as well be you. For her sake, I will _try_ to get along with you. But if you hurt her, it is not _Nonno_ who you should worry about. He will be inclined to be decent. I will not. Got it?"

Considering her favorite threat to potential suitors was to personally castrate them with a dull kitchen knife, Ludwig had been inclined to believe her. He'd also seen he'd earned a grain of respect when he'd told her solemnly, "If I do hurt her, I won't deserve anything decent."

After reading the letter over a bit more carefully, Ludwig said, "Feli, this letter is dated seven days ago. How did it arrive so soon?"

Feliciana made a face, which made her look uncomfortably like her sister. "One of _Nonno's_ ships was docked at the port she's in, but it was one of the new captains. He didn't know her and she didn't have anything to identify herself, so he left her. He just _left_ her." Her face started to crumble. "What if something else happens? What if-

"Feli, she'll be fine," Ludwig reassured her hurriedly. He didn't want to deal with yet another barrage of tears, not when she'd been so happy for the first time in too long. "It says she has work, and a friend. Where did the captain sail from?"

Feliciana sniffed. "I don't know. I forgot to ask."

Ludwig caught her hand in his free one, leading her back towards the gates. "Show me which ship he came in on. If this letter was written only seven days ago, she can't be far."

"What about Gilbert?"

The German considered that, and cracked a grim smile. "Knowing my _bruder_, we'll get there just after he does."

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

Amelia's cell was a box that had six sides of hard wood. There were no furnishings, not even a lantern or candle stub. Well, there was a bucket, but she had pushed it into the far corner and kept her distance from it. She was just glad someone had thought to leave it.

Lack of bedding or no, Madeline had often noted with no little irritation Amelia's ability to fall asleep just about anywhere. In a rough carriage ride, at her desk during lessons, even during a particularly boring dinner party on one occasion. The lack of furnishings were more an irritation than an inconvenience, as they did little for her boredom. In fact she found herself dozing half the time, lying down or sitting against one of the walls. The only reason she knew they should be getting close to New Madrid was because Carriedo had the decency to send down something a few times a day. If it was morning the pirate bringing down a cup of water and some hardtack would be hung over. If they were bringing down lunch they were sober. If they were half drunk it was dinner.

Now she was pacing her box of a cell. A pirate had already dropped of her dinner, but they were sober for the second time in a row for a change. Add to that it had been three day's worth of meals, and Amelia knew for a fact they were at least close to New Madrid. Would Carriedo come and get her, or wait until he found Lovina? Would he hurt her if the Italian had left the port? How long would it take?

Amelia was still pacing when her door was thrown open, making her start. Seeing it was Carriedo, she demanded, "Well?"

The Spaniard said nothing, just tossed something onto the floor. Amelia jumped back, and then stared at the sword. Looking back up at the pirate, she saw his face set in grim lines.

"Take it. It seems you will be fighting for your freedom."

Amelia frowned. "That wasn't part of the deal, Carriedo."

"I know. But the deal did not account for Turks making a raid."

"Wait, what?" demanded Amelia, taking a step forward.

"Take the sword, _señorita_. We need all we can get," said the pirate, turning away. He left, the door still open.

Mouth grim, Amelia scooped up the sword and followed him out.

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

Antonio rejoined Gilbert on deck, face grim. They'd sent Gilbird ahead the moment New Madrid had come into sight. It wasn't until they had almost reached the harbor they'd seen the large ship. Unfortunately, it was one both captains recognized.

"What is he doing in the Caribbean?" asked Antonio darkly. "Last we heard he was getting plenty of wealth from the Mediterranean."

"Maybe he got bored," said Gilbert, lifting a spyglass. "It would be just like him. How many of his ships have we sunk? Five?"

"Ten."

Gilbert lowered the spyglass to stare at Antonio, barely noticing Amelia join them on deck. "Ten? Why did you do that? We were supposed to _avoid_ his ships."

"I did. They came to me."

The albino scowled. "You didn't have to sink them."

"_S__ì_, I did. They tried to sink me."

"Why? Who is that?"

Antonio turned to regard Amelia. "Have you ever heard of Sadiq Adnan?"

Amelia frowned. "I've heard a few rumors. But they all said he was in the Mediterranean or Arabian Sea."

"He was. But in these last few years he has been sending ships to the Caribbean. Every time I come across one they open fire. I return the favor. So far I have not lost." Pointing across the water to the large, dark ship, he said, "That is the _Veiled Queen_. His personal ship. I do not think it is a coincidence the first we know of him being in our waters is seeing his ship at port."

"So...are we gonna sink him too?"

When both pirates stared at her, she shrugged. "Hey, that thing is between me and my sister. I don't care how big and bad he is, he's still just a man. You're the infamous pirates, can't you take one ship?"

The two exchanged a look, and then Gilbert grinned. "You said you have a sister?"

Amelia frowned. "Yeah, why?"

"Is she like you?"

"Better."

The Prussian laughed. Ignoring him Antonio said, "I don't care why he's here. My only concern is whether or not Lovina will get caught up in it. We get in, get them, and get out."

Amelia didn't argue. So long as she found Maddie and Arthur in one piece, she'd be happy. She'd worry about Gilbert's potential interest in her sister later.

**BREAK/BREAK\BREAK**

Lovina lifted her sword, slowly easing herself closer to the side door by the town's main gates. It was standing wide open, but so far she had yet to see anyone. She didn't want to go running through it just to hit a gaggle of pirates.

Madeline was behind her, quiet as a mouse. Honestly Lovina had had to look back over her shoulder a few times just to make sure the girl was still there. She was every time, sword in hand, face grim. Gilbird was still napping contentedly against her chest, just as quiet as she was.

Taking a deep breath, Lovina took one more step closer, and peeked around the edge of the doorway set into the wall. When she didn't see anyone, she eased out farther, looking around carefully. Where were the sentries they'd gotten rid of? Hadn't they posted any of their own?

Still, there wasn't anyone there. Maybe the warning bells had scared them off, she reasoned. Either way, it was a clear shot to the guard tower. Glancing back to beckon for Madeline to follow her, Lovina stepped through the wall and out into the open.

She broke into a run, making for the guard tower, Madeline on her heels. The door was open when they reached it, but Lovina slowed once they'd started up the spiraling staircase. She racked her brain, trying to remember what _Nonno_ had told them about these. They were the few lesson's she'd enjoyed for pities sake.

Right-handed. Most swordsmen were right-handed. So the stairs always climbed clockwise, so that whoever was coming up would have to expose their left side before they could use their own sword. The person guarding, the person at the top of the tower, had the advantage this way.

Lovina stopped, looking down at her hands. She'd been holding her sword in her right hand. She looked back at Madeline, and found the girl had done the same. Gesturing for her to move closer, Lovina leaned down to whisper softly, "Use your left hand. Be ready."

Madeline frowned, but copied the Italian as she switched her weapon to her left hand. It didn't feel quite right, but Lovina would rather take that risk until they knew what they were dealing with. At least they could try to do something about it, unlike the torches. The towers were dark, no windows until you reached the top. Torches were set into the inner wall periodically, and while they provided light they also ensured a tell tale shadow was cast well ahead of whoever was on the stairs.

They had climbed most of the way up before Lovina heard them. She stopped in her tracks, and Madeline froze behind her. For a moment Lovina stood there, fear at being discovered closing over her throat, but then she made out what was being said. Well, more or less. They were speaking a foreign language she couldn't recognize, but she'd know that slur anywhere. Whoever had been left on guard, they were drunk.

Lovina took a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose. _Why is it every single pirate crew I end up dealing with is so damn drunk?_

Madeline joined her on her step, leaning in to breathe softly, "Now what?"

The Italian chewed her lip, frowning. Then she held up a hand, motioning for Madeline to wait. She eased up a few more steps, peeking around the last curve. Instead of en entry way, she found a ladder that led up to a trap door. It was from there the drunk voices were emanating.

Moving back to join Madeline, she whispered in a slightly louder voice, "Sounds like both guards found the rum. How long do you think we have before someone comes to relieve them?"

Madeline frowned thoughtfully. "If the raid's just starting, don't we have at least until sunrise? Or until they have whatever it is they want? Maybe that's why these are the first we've seen, they're all already in the town."

Lovina nodded. "Maybe." Taking a deep breath, she said, "Wait. And never tell anyone I did this. I've gotten into enough trouble for it."

Before Madeline could ask, Lovina handed her the sword she carried and marched up to stand beneath the trap door. Mimicking the behavior she'd been dealing with for the last few weeks, she took the last few steps across the flat space at a tipsy swagger. In her best drunken voice, she bellowed, "Hellllloooo! Robert! Are you...are you up there?" She lay on her accent thick for good measure, ensuring she was barely understandable.

A moment later two heads poked into the open space. A heavily accented voice called down, "Eh, there is no Robert here. His shift ended. Go away."

Lovina gave a theatric pout. "Aw, that's too bad. And I climbed all the..." she swayed a little, grinning and giggling. "_All_ the way up here. I donna' wanna' climb another tower. Robert already pair for tonight. How about one of 'a you play with me instead?"

That immediately started an argument. It was only half in English, but Lovina defiantly made out a "I saw her first!" and "I spoke to her!". After a minute, though, one of them fumbled down the ladder, leaving his cohort to grumble at their post.

Lovina, still swaying, stumbled back towards the stairs. "Come on eh? There's a' surprise. Robert wanted it, but I guess 'a it's for you now."

It was ridiculously easy, getting him back over to where Madeline was waiting, eyes a bit wide. As soon as the Turk was two steps down, though, Lovina grabbed her sword back from the other girl. Before she could think about it too much, she ran him through, aiming for his heart.

The pirate stopped cold. He blinked down at the sword in surprise, and then back up at her. He started to open his mouth, and Lovina panicked. Her sword was stuck in his chest, so she let it go, grabbing Madeline's sword and slashing wildly at his throat.

Both girls watched in mutual horror as the pirate fell to the steps with a dull thump, sliding down a few before coming to a stop. The slash had cut his head half off, blood now gushing from the corpse. Madeline turned away and retched.

Lovina, fighting nausea of her own, set one sword down and grabbed the hilt of the other. Bracing a boot against the dead pirate, she dragged it free. Stumbling back up to the landing, she held it behind her back and took a few deep, calming breaths.

Steeling herself, she called up, "_Signore?_ You 'a still up there?"

When a head appeared, scowling, she gave a shaky but still broad smile.

"He 'a fell asleep! Silly man..." she swayed, stumbling a bit as much as she could while still keeping the sword hidden. "He had too much to 'a drink. You still 'a want to play?"

This time Lovina didn't wait to draw him away. No sooner had the pirate stopped swaying at the base of the ladder than she lifted the sword and swung it with all her might. There was a dull thump as his head hit the floor. Slowly, the pirate's body crumpled to the floor.

Lovina dropped the sword, stumbling back a few paces before she lost her stomach. When she was done, she turned to find Madeline walking slowly up to join her. The girl was still pale, but her mouth was set in a tight line.

"I know we had to, but..." For a moment Lovina thought she would be sick again, but Madeline set her chin stubbornly. "No more killing unless we absolutely have to. If we keep up like this, we're no better than them."

Lovina nodded, trudging over to the ladder. For a moment she paused over the bloodstained sword, but then turned away, leaving it. Numbly she climbed up, Madeline following her. Once they reached the final landing, they pulled the ladder up after them, laying it across the trap door after they'd pushed it shut.

The top of the tower was a round platform surrounded by a four foot high wall, a bell in the middle. For a moment Lovina considered ringing it, but decided against it. The bells in the town were still being rung, and she could see movement now, lights coming to life all over as the people scrambled into fighting order. Besides, considering how loud it would have to be she wasn't eager to pull the heavy rope. Not to mention it would announce to all the pirates that they had lost the guard tower.

"Why do I feel like a treed cat?" asked Madeline wearily, peering over the harbor.

"Because that's what we are. We barred the main door, remember? They will have quite a bit to get through before they even reach us."

Madeline didn't seem convinced, but before she could argue a frown creased her face. Pointing, she asked, "Do you recognize any of those ships?"

Lovina followed her gaze, and smiled grimly. "The big one belongs to Gilbert. The other two are Antonio's. That was them we saw in the harbor mouth."

"They're docking away from the big one, the one with all the pirates. What did they sound like to you, Turks?"

"_S__ì_."

"Why are Turkish pirates attacking?"

Lovina rolled her eyes. "I forgot to ask."

"It might have helped."

"You are welcome to go down and find a live one to ask," Lovina quipped.

"I forgot how you get when you're not exhausted," muttered Madeline.

Lovina scowled, but then her eyes fell on Gilbird. He'd forgotten about him. The fluffy bird was still sound asleep, which she found somewhat remarkable.

"Do you think you could wake him up?" she asked, pointing to the bird.

Madeline frowned. "He hasn't woken up so far. Why?"

"Maybe we could send a message, let them know where we are."

"A message on what? We have nothing to write with."

Lovina looked around, scowling harder. Madeline was right, save for a few jars or rum the space was bare. And they had hardly brought any with them. It occurred to her then that it might have been wise to bring up a bit of food and water.

The Italian scratched her head, and then froze. She hurriedly untied her head cloth, hissing, "Wake him up!"

Madeline frowned down at the bird for a moment, and then started to rub his head with the pad of her index finger. It took a moment, but little black eyes opened. Gilbird gave an irate squawk, ruffling his feathers.

"Um, could you send a message for us, please?" asked Madeline.

Lovina opened her mouth to protest the bird couldn't understand human speech, but Gilbird gave another squawk, and wriggled out of his nesting place, making Madeline giggle. He moved to her shoulder, stretching his wings out. Lovina frowned first at him, and then her head cloth. She reached into her bodice, pulling out the dagger she still kept. Madeline watched her with interest rather than surprise. Lovina had actually had to pull the thing on two occasions on a few of the more rowdy patrons before Lars could throw them out.

Selecting an edge, Lovina carefully cut and ripped a strip of the red silk away. After retying it on her head, she turned to Gilbird. She didn't like trusting her fate to the fluffy bird, but in this case she had little choice.

"Don't peck me, bastard bird," she warned him.

The canary squawked, but refrained from pecking at her fingers as she secured the bit of cloth around his leg.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Madeline wearily.

"He's the one who gave it to me. He will remember," said Lovina, stepping back.

Madeline took Gilbird on one finger, taking him to the tower's edge. She held him out, and the little bird took off with a final squawk, flying for the ships. When she turned back around, she asked, "How long do you think it will take for the villagers to prepare?"

Lovina opened her mouth, but was cut off as several gunshots rang up from the town. Mouth twisting wryly, she said, "That long. I'm more concerned about the tomato bastard getting to the right tower."

As the sounds of fighting started to come up from the town, they settled down to wait.

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><p><strong>Okay, originally I planned on taking the chapter a bit farther, but I met my newly-acquired 3,000 word quota sooner than I thought. So I get to stretch things out for another chapter! :D Yeah, I know, I suck. But at least there's not a brutal cliffhanger this time. :) [I actually hate cliffhangers with a passion, but as a writer I find them very useful for ensuring a reader sticks around. Consider them a necessary evil that ensures I update quickly so I don't have angry readers coming after me with torches and pitchforks :) ]<strong>

**Please Review!**


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